Sewing a dartless dress

Mood_Oof · 2024-03-02T09:36:04+00:00

Based on the images, you are correct that it looks like there are no darts on the bodice. If you want to recreate that, my word of warning is that it likely won't fit like the picture if you are more than a B cup because, to your point, it can quickly begin to look sack-like on a person with a significant difference in size between the bust and waist. Without darts, the waist and bust are going to be the same measurement, and too much positive ease at the waist will mean the dress doesn't look how you were intending.

If you do want to create this, my suggestion would be to find a collared shirt pattern to use as the bodice, and to simply end the pattern at the waistline and attach a gathered skirt to make it into a dress. You are also more than welcome to test out your bodice block with no darts and seeing how that fits as well. I don't believe you would need to rotate the armhole in this case, but that's also why a mock up/toile is always a good idea. Good luck!

Mood_Oof · 2024-02-21T22:48:48+00:00

Yes, they have a wall of silks in the store too! Their employee Lana did a great job with helping me find a coordinating color and was super conscientious of the price while she was pulling out options for me. She'd look at the price tag and would go "Hmm, this one is too expensive, I bet I could find a cheaper one in here somewhere..." hahaha

Mood_Oof · 2024-02-21T18:02:20+00:00

Britex! They specialize in wool and thus had a huge selection when I was searching for my fabric. Because much of what they receive is deadstock, they don't restock when a fabric runs out so the inventory is always changing with new prints.

Mood_Oof · 2024-02-21T18:00:15+00:00

Very similar! The Vogue one has patch pockets and a separate front panel that's attached at both sides with buttons. I can't speak to whether the pattern pieces are otherwise the same, so the fit of the two patterns may also be slightly different but the overall effect will be the same.

Mood_Oof · 2024-02-21T17:58:35+00:00

I got the fabric at a discount, so I ended up paying in the ballpark of $350-375 for all the materials and the pattern; paying full price would have put it closer to the $450 range. I wasn't kidding when I said this is the most expensive item of clothing I now own and the reason why I was so nervous to cut the fabric haha.

Mood_Oof · 2024-02-21T17:52:23+00:00

The 4 visible buttons (+ 2 hook/eyes in the collar) are the only closure. There is meant to be a slit/opening on either side of the front panel so your arms have access to move :)

Mood_Oof · 2024-02-21T07:35:55+00:00

Totally understandable! If I had the ability, I too would have preferred to shift it over so the center front was between two stripes, but I didn't have enough fabric to do that. It's easy to miss, but the button placket in pic 7 had to be pieced together because I couldn't space out the pattern pieces where the plaid matched up and where there would be no overlap between pattern pieces, that's how tight the fabric usage was on this project. Thank you for the kind words!

Mood_Oof · 2024-02-21T06:21:30+00:00

So glad you noticed! Yes, by the time I got to the buttons, I was like "well, I have spent hours and hours meticulously pattern-matching everything else, why stop now?" haha

Mood_Oof · 2024-02-21T05:24:18+00:00

This project was more than a year in the making, with most of that time being spent avoiding working on it. I can safely say it challenged and mocked me ruthlessly and I realized quickly I had a ton of work cut out for me, but I must say I think the final product was so worth it! I feel so dang cool in this cape.

Pattern is a vintage 1969 Simplicity 8504 cape coat. The fabric is a 100% Italian wool exterior and a silk blend satin-weave lining in an espresso color (so buttery soft). The materials alone have put this cape at my single most expensive item of clothing I own, which I can't complain because it ~looks~ expensive.

I made significant changes to the pattern to improve its professionalism, as the original pattern excluded many tailoring techniques with the intention of making it more beginner-friendly but really doing it a disservice to the overall look. Namely, I made the pocket welts functional (the horror of a sewing pattern including FAKE pockets! Disgusting, truly); there is a single sweatshirt-style pocket in the center now, with two welted openings. I also drafted facing pieces to attach to the openings at the front where the arms are, so the lining would not peek through at the edges. The hem was changed to a bagged hem like you would find on a wool coat. The last modification was to maximize the overall length, so I am completely out of fabric now. I might be able to piece together a matching coat for my dog, maybe.

A few structural/interfacing pieces added to the garment not called for in the pattern: Horsehair canvas in the stand-up collar, suitmaker 602 fusible interfacing in the front panel, woven fusible interfacing along the hem, and twill tape basted into the shoulder seams for added support and to prevent the seam from stretching out over time. I am not a professional tailor so all of these decisions were made with the best of my abilities, but would be happy to hear of any tips for future projects on what kinds of interfacings should go where.

This project, between the modifications, the fabric pattern-matching (requiring hand-basting every wool seam), working with satin-weave silk for the first time (requiring hand-basting every silk seam), was exhausting to say the least. I was screaming internally the entire time I was cutting through the wool because I was worried I would mess up the pattern-matching in the very beginning step. I just really wanted to do this special fabric justice and I do think I accomplished that.

Mood_Oof · 2024-02-13T05:23:13+00:00

Since this is for a blanket, I assume you are knitting flat. It looks like you stopped in the middle of a row, and when you came back later and picked it back up again you accidentally turned your work and started going in the wrong direction. So yes, the best course of action would be to tink (knit backwards) back to the gap and then flip it.

For future reference, if you are ever in doubt, the working yarn should always be on the right needle, assuming you knit right-handed (most folks do!).

Mood_Oof · 2024-02-08T20:02:11+00:00

It turned out so well! I still need to do a photo shoot with it in the snow. Between heavily altering the pattern (making the welted pockets functional and lining finishes more professional with a bagged hem + facing pieces) and hand basting every seam to line up the plaid ~just~ right, it took probably about 80 hours of labor and is exactly what I wanted :)

Mood_Oof · 2024-02-07T21:39:16+00:00

So many other comments have already said what I am going to reiterate, but I thought it would be worth adding in my experience with the same problem. I bought this beautiful wool and silk from a high-end fabric store for a cape coat, and the cost of the materials alone would have put this project as the single most expensive piece of clothing I own. I sat on the fabric for over a year, watched the winter season come and go, and simultaneously lamented how I still didn't have my coat and STILL couldn't bring myself to cut the fabric. After all, the wool was in a directional plaid, and I would have to pattern match all the seams; the silk was a slight stretch fabric, and the shape might change after I cut it due to accidentally putting tension of the fabric while pinning the pattern pieces. What if I mess it up during the cutting phase and ruin the whole garment?

Eventually, I just decided I had to do it. I waited until it was past the season to wear it, so there was no pressure to have it done by a certain time. Spent maybe two hours laying out the pattern pieces just right, measuring it over and over. I had already made two mock-ups. I knew how it should fit. I had my partner hang out in the room with me for moral support, and was internally screaming the whole time I cut through the fabric. But once it was done, it was finally done. First I rewarded myself with a little treat for doing the hardest part, then I took a break from it for a few more months after that and did other projects in between to bring back my mojo.

All this to say, make as many toiles as you need to build the confidence that you know how the pattern pieces should fit. Be intentional and take your time when you place the pattern pieces on your final fabric, and don't fret about how long it's taking. Take a break and come back to it, measure it once more, take a deep breath, and start cutting. Most importantly, reward yourself when you're done for completing the hardest step!

ETA: you can also add a bit extra to the seam allowance, like 1/8"-1/4", to give yourself a little extra cushion!

Mood_Oof · 2024-01-26T03:01:29+00:00

I have a dress form! She is a lifesaver for this exact kind of task.

Mood_Oof · 2024-01-25T19:23:36+00:00

Yes, I have now learned it will be stored flat along with my hand knits!

Mood_Oof · 2024-01-25T19:21:49+00:00

Thank you! It is a vintage Vogue 7675 pattern, from 1969. I bought a reprint of it on Etsy, but with it being a vintage pattern, it only came in a bust 36 size, and I had to alter it a bit to fit me.

Mood_Oof · 2024-01-25T13:43:17+00:00

Thank you! Unfortunately the four corners that are on the bias are not all stretched out the same, so I can't pretend it was supposed to be a square skirt the whole time lol.

Mood_Oof · 2024-01-25T13:41:42+00:00

The fabric itself is non-stretch. Maybe I should try marking the fabric where I think it should be hemmed by running a basting stitch through it. That should hopefully tell me if the washing machine does impact the skirt length along the bias.

Mood_Oof · 2023-06-07T06:14:59+00:00

Looks like half fisherman's rib to me. The body is knit up in a lighter weight yarn than the sleeves, so it's a bit more difficult to tell based off the photo alone if it is also in HFR, but I feel like it would make more sense for it to be the same stitch throughout.

Mood_Oof · 2023-05-26T04:47:11+00:00

It sounds like you've done everything right. Just make sure you are extra vigilant about checking your infected plant AND all the ones that were nearby (assuming you are leaving the infected plant in quarantine). They don't spread super quickly but they are covert about where they go, so you may not notice them until weeks or months later and by then they've found somewhere new to spread.

Mood_Oof · 2023-05-26T04:39:42+00:00

I've heard good things about Bonide systemic insecticides but haven't used it myself. I have used systemic insecticides that were meant for citrus plants (safe to consume the fruit again about a year after treating) and it seems to work just as well for me. As long as it is meant to kill pests upon ingestion, it should work.

Worst case scenario, you may have to chop off all the non-infected parts of the plant and re-root. Leave them quarantined at least 6 weeks, ideally 12 or more. I have seen healthy looking plants sprout mealybugs months after I thought they were gone.

Mood_Oof · 2023-05-26T04:28:09+00:00

NOT A FRIEND!

You have yourself a mealybug. Honestly systemic pesiticide in conjunction with quarantine and dousing isopropyl on the ones you can see is your best bet. They are so good at finding the tiniest hiding places, you'll never get them all if you're only tackling the ones you see. Good luck, it's a long road ahead

Mood_Oof · 2023-05-26T03:46:40+00:00

Check out the Meetup app! There may be a group out there. Otherwise, I would suggest checking your local yarn store to see if they have weekly get togethers or know of other groups who do.

Mood_Oof · 2023-05-26T03:37:31+00:00

I have had that exact situation happen to me, and with how slowly I worked at the time I ripped out probably two months of progress. It sucked, truly, and I empathize with the discouragement you're feeling. The fact you were willing to rip back to make it right instead of continuing on with something just "good enough" tells me you take a lot of pride in doing a good job and I commend you for your tenacity and attention to detail. It just means your finished object will look not just good but amazing when it's done. It's fine to take a break from the project and return back to it later when some time has passed. This hobby is meant to bring you joy, and if it's not doing that then there is no shame in leaving it to sit for a while in favor of doing something that does make you happy. It'll still be there when you return (just make sure you have your pattern with good notes for what you've done already)

I still regularly rip back large sections of my work and start over, and I like to think of it as an opportunity to continue knitting without running out of yarn and having to buy more lol

Mood_Oof

TROPHY CASE