I finally finished a garment! I must admit I've been pretty out of sorts with this whole new routine of work, childcare and school. After a few weeks, we're finally finding our groove again. It's all about organisation!
I spent a fair amount of time in January assessing my wardrobe and cleaning it out. I discovered I'm in dire need of some new work clothes. When I increased my working hours this year, I realised I really only had 3 decent dresses that I wear to work. A bit of a problem now that I'm working 4 days a week!
I've had this pattern in my sights for quite some time. During one of my fitting classes last year at Tessuti, two ladies used this pattern as their starting point. They were completely different shapes and sizes but Vanessa made the pattern look amazing on both of them. I quickly purchased the pattern knowing that it would be a good way to use this black and white stripe sateen.
The pattern is for a patterned sheath dress and coat. The dress has a yoke and paneled body. I made the dress using two different cotton sateens. In terms of sizing, the bust is a size 18 graded out to a size 20 at the hips. I'm not very happy with the fit of this dress. It is a touch firm across the hips and stomach which is not unusual for a sheath dress. The problem is that the waist is very loose and baggy. I tried to pinch out the excess but this starts to mess with the lines of the pattern and the fall of the fabric. I decided to leave it as is. Hopefully, with a little more running and toning, it will fall over my hips and be loose all over. I feel that this pattern would be best suited to a non-hippy figure.
The instructions were easy to follow. No issues there. The pattern did not call for a vent at the back which is kind of odd as I'm not sure how you're supposed to walk or sit down without one. I used a standard black vent which I copied from New Look 6000. My go to sheath dress pattern.
I did my standard sway back adjustment, removing 4 cm length from the centre back and 3 cm width from the back neckline. These worked perfectly. I just need to work out how to fix the fit of the front...
If you follow me on Instagram you would know that I did the invisible zip a couple of times until I got it perfect. My attention to detail skills, which are extremely important for my day job, were really starting to bug me that night. I am now glad I spent the time to make it perfect. I'm pretty impressed with the stripe matching!
As much as I love the stripes with the black side panels, I do not like how the stripes highlight every fitting flaw. You can see every drag mark and crease. A solid or pattern would work much better.
Although it was a relative success and very comfortable to wear, I'm not sure if I will be making this pattern again. I'm sure there are better sheath dress patterns out there that will be a much better way to spend my precious time.
Project Details
Pattern: Burda 7077, view A, size 18-20
Fabric: Striped stretch cotton sateen from Tessuti with black stretch cotton sateen and black goldliner lining from Clegs
Alterations: 4cm sway back adjustment with 3cm removed from back neckline
So now I am on the hunt for the perfect sheath dress to kit out my working wardrobe. What's your best suggestion?
L x
