Woe is me, gentle reader, and woe is she who heeds not my words of warning! Do not make ye a dress from fabric which wants not to be that dress! Warning: the following tale contains fabric abuse and a gratuitous amount of self-pity. Proceed with caution!
It all started out so innocently! Ages ago, when the pattern was first released, Tilly sent me a review copy of her cute Françoise dress. Now, I love the look of French darts and the yoke detail is extra cute, so I was looking forward to sewing this, especially since I tried and failed after a couple of muslins to fit both a vintage pattern with French darts as well as Burda 7031 (I’ve seen some cute versions of the latter, but when I tried it a few years ago, my fitting skills just weren’t up to the task of making lots of changes without screwing up the shape of the darts). So I figured, a chance to redeem myself! What could possibly go wrong?
When I first saw the pattern, my immediate thought was, “ORANGE!”, followed by, “ORANGE ORANGE ORANGE ORANGE ORANGE!” I desperately needed an orange shift dress! Since it was winter when I received the pattern, I searched high and low for a winter-weight wool crepe with a hint of stretch (suggested by Tilly for comfortable close-fitting sleeves). No dice, friends! This perfect fabric existed only in my imagination! But it had to be orange, so I waited for summertime and resumed the hunt. I found this fabric at Mood and POUNCED on it! A crisp, bright, beautiful, deep orange! EXACTLY what I wanted! Only… it has the feel of, I dunno, like, a windbreaker? An umbrella? THIS WILL BE PERFECT FOR A DRESS, YES?
Let’s sidebar from the tragedy a bit to talk about the pattern. The instructions are clear and detailed, with photos accompanying each step, so even the most timid of beginners should feel confident going into this project. I didn’t bother making a muslin, instead opting to make a straight size 3, even though my waist and hips fit in a size 2. Why, readers, why? This was a huge mistake. I should have made the smaller size and done an FBA, but because I didn’t, the dress was huge through the back shoulders. I pinched out 1″ darts on each side of the back neckline as a quick fix, but it looks pretty messy. I thought the flare of the skirt looked pretty costume-y, so I slimmed it down a bit from the waist to the hem, which probably brought it down to the size 2 lines, which I should have cut from the get-go. I’m still on the fence about this shape, but honestly, I never wear anything a-line, so I think I’m just not used to it. But just because I jacked up the fit doesn’t mean it’s not a good pattern. Smarter, better, non-risk-taking seamstresses made adorable versions of this. See: Lorelai, Marie, Roisin.
But… can we at least all agree that this shade of orange is PERFECT?
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dude i wanted SO BADLY to take that fabric out of your grasp!! but you were so calm and wise when you said it would soften in the wash i figured you knew something i didn’t!!!!
such a pretty color though… i rise once again from the mist to whisper into your ear: shoulder bag…. shoulder bag….
BAHAHAHAHA! I should have listened! I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED!!!
I’ve almost finished the version with collar and sleeves. Only hem to do but machine has just broken. Looks lovely on the hanger but truly awful on across the shoulders. I admit, I too used the wrong fabric, but it’s my first sewing project in years, so I persevered and saw it as a practice. The neck and shoulders though can’t be blamed on the material. I just don’t think this style suits anything but super skinny figures. The collar and neck are really wide too. Maybe it’s my rusty sewing. Has anyone else made it successfully?
Oh, that’s a real shame. I’m so sorry! I found it wide through the back neckline, but that’s a frequent problem I face with sewing patterns. Perhaps it stretched out a bit while you were handling it? Either way, no fun!
Aie aie aie, it’s just too sad!! It’s sometimes hard to find the right fabric ! It is a shame tho because I really like this colour on you!! I tried this pattern in march but I’m not sure that my fabric was right for it either, and I found that the neckline was very very high… it’s on pause for now!
The neckline is quite high! I’ve noticed that with vintage patterns, too- I’m just not used to that feeling!
I am sorry for your bad experience, but exceedingly glad you chose to share it with your faithful followers. I tend to learn almost as much from other sewers’ failures, as I do from their successes. It appears that fabric, being an inanimate object, cannot be coaxed into doing something against its nature. I suspect that someday you will stumble upon the right orange fabric, and make yourself a fabulous Francoise shift dress.
It’s so very true what you say about learning from the failures of others– many times their mistakes are things that I wouldn’t have otherwise known to look out for, so it’s saved me lots of heartache! I hope this will keep someone from making the same mistake that I did!
It is a truly fabulous orange, I can see why you were seduced by it.
Let’s just say that I can completely relate to this sort of disaster. Completely.