I'm blogging this out of order of making because I have another dress that was finished before this one, but I don't love the photos of it, so the tartan dress is going first. And, also, because it is the tartan dress of amazingness!
The idea for this dress came from a similar tartan dress I spotted on the interwebs. The tartan on it was Royal Stewart, and I found this Mini Royal Stewart tartan at UK Fabrics Online. It was a total bargain at £4.99 a metre and 150cm wide, so I ordered 3 metres, and have enough left for a skirt.
The bodice is the same as my Poppies Shirt Dress, and the skirt is from my Hawthorn dress. I wanted to try a separate bias cut button placket, and although it gave me a few headaches (I even dreamt about it!), I'm delighted with how it turned out.
I couldn't find anything about drafting separate plackets (bias cut, or otherwise) in any of my drafting books, and the only pattern I had with a separate placket was McCalls 6696. I couldn't really make sense of the instructions on attaching the placket - although I think it would have made more sense if I actually had the cut out fabric in my hands - so, predictably, I winged it.
I won't bore you with my first idea, it was weird and difficult to explain; my second idea was a bias cut front and a straight grain back, which you can see below. I interfaced the bias cut placket, and am very please with how it turned out.
I also made a bias cut cuff for the sleeves.
I ended up cutting it all out on a single layer so I could match the stripes; and as time-consuming as it was, I'm glad I did it.
I really love this dress! I can see it becoming a big favourite to wear in the winter, but I am still subbornly holding out and wearing my summer dresses. They, and my sandals, don't get put away until the end of September!
Have a great week,
Lynne
This is fab. The bias strips are a touch of genius! And I'm so with you about summer dresses at least until the end of September. I refuse to get my tights out yet - my legs manage to look blue on their own most days though :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yey to another summer dress wearer! I object to tights because I hate handwashing them, but I find they get ruined in the washing machine. My feet were a bit cold this afternoon, but the weather forecast is better for tomorrow. We have to stay positive!
DeleteThis dress is so perfect! I'm working on a shirt dress draft too, let's hope it turns out as well as this one :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! Good luck with your shirt dress drafting!
DeleteIt fits you beautifully! And we'll done with the placket - they can he tricky.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm delighted with the placket because I invested so much energy into thinking about it!
DeleteThis is beautiful! And it really suits you! Well done in the bias features x
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm so pleased with how the bias cut bits turned out.
DeleteEmily has already said 'perfect', but I'm going to say it again - perfect dress! That's the first word that came into my mind when I saw it. Stripe matching level: genius :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I always huff and puff about having to crawl around the floor, cutting out on a single layer, but I'm always delighted with the end results! Definately worth it.
Deletehonestly, this was totally worth the effort - you have such a gorgeous dress with really beautiful details.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I really am thrilled with it. It turned out exactly as it was in my head!!
DeleteI love the bias cuffs, they finish the dress off perfectly. Seeing that gorgeous tartan has made me yearn for a pair of tartan pjs!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I love the cuffs too, and they are made in one piece, which is handy! Who doesn't love tartan jammies? You've put that in my head now...
DeleteThis dress looks really lovely on you. You did a fab job, well done!!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeletePerfect dress Lynn and you look amazing in it. Well done.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThis dress is brilliant! You did a fantastic job with it- I like the sleeves bias cut!
ReplyDeleteNice to 'meet' you!x
Thank you!
DeleteThe tartan dress of amazingness! :D What a great dress! Your matching is excellent and that's a very clever idea with the bias cut front and back on the straight grain. Thanks for sharing where you got the fabric from too; I'd not come across that website before and have already seen a few pieces I want, including some of the red/black Wallace modern tartan polyviscose.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Aren't there some lovely tartans on that website? I was having a look when I copied the link, and it took some will power not to buy more because I have two more tartan fabrics in my stash..
DeleteAbsolutely gorgeous! That tartan is just beautiful and you did such an amazing job with fabric placement. Those bias touches are perfection! You are rocking this fab dress.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Deleteperfect placket, fabulous fit and fabric ;o)
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteSuperb :)
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI made a tartan shirt dress last winter so I can imagine how long it took to cut out, but it was definitely worth it - your dress is gorgeous! I'm with you about wearing summer dresses still at the moment, but this will be lovely for when the weather's cooler.
ReplyDeleteThank you! The weather has taken a turn for the better this week, and long may it last.
DeleteThis is how it it done!!! Amazing really...really!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteSweet mother of dresses, this is stunning!!! Well done :D
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI'm in awe of your pattern matching! It's a lovely dress. Cassandra
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteSuch a cute dress! Love the tartan and perfect pattern matching!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteAhhh, Lynne, this is so good!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThe bias cut button placket immediately drew my eye! The dress looks awesome and fits you beautifully! Having read your posts about collar drafting class (which looks perfect on your dress by the way), I'm really interested to improve my skills in this area as well. Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm so glad I learnt to draft collars, and they are easy to do. Good luck with your drafting!
DeleteWow - the pattern matching is amazing and I love the bias plackets which really set it off - this is such a perfect dress for going into autumn! I am also holding out against tights but I am planning autumn sewing and getting ready for colder weather!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yes, it's time to start on the autumn and winter sewing. I've been doing just that today.
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