flowers and colors and newness

Hi guys! So you may have noticed that I've done some redecorating around these parts! I hope you like it! I've been meaning to give my blog a little facelift for awhile now but couldn't quite decide how far I wanted to go with it.  Eventually I decided just a little sprucing up, a little feng shui, and a new coat of paint was really all I needed to make this space feel fresh again. There's no major reason for the new look, I just felt like it was time.  For the most part everything is still the same, but I might be doing some larger reorganizing of things in the next few weeks, so don't be alarmed if things keep changing or look a bit weird if you come back and visit. I do all this stuff myself, so it's a lot of trial and error and googling things like "how do I get rid of the weird space in my sidebar in blogger". Fun times! Speaking of which, if anyone can tell me how to get rid of that skinny black line underneath my header I will tunnel through cyberspace and give you a giant smooch!! (translate: I will be forever grateful and I'll repay you with undying love and loyalty. Like a puppy.) (UPDATE!! Problem solved!! Jana, you win my endless love and devotion!)

So let's talk about this dress! This is my latest make for the Mood Sewing Network.  I generally feel like sewists take one of two approaches when confronted with a large scale print, like this Thakoon Amparo Blue and White Viscose Jersey. You either opt for a simple silhouette to pair it with so the whole thing doesn't become to overwhelming, or you go for an equally statement making design and the let the print and style duke it out. Winner takes all? Or perhaps the battle simply swallows whoever was foolish enough to attempt the pairing in the first place! Well, whatever, I fall into the latter category.

This jersey is the stuff of dreams. It's a sheer, light as a feather, tissue weight jersey, with a modest amount of stretch, and it drapes like a boss. I ordered several yards of it without really having a plan for what it would become, but once it arrived I couldn't get over how gorgeous it looked as it folded and shimmied over itself.  The large blue floral print became abstracted and even more beautiful than when left un-manipulated.

So I decided to pair it with Vogue 1287, a DKNY pattern that I've had in my pattern stash for awhile. This pattern's got pleats out the wazooey, saggy pockets, kimono sleeves, a mock wrap top... it's got errrythang! I knew that the Thakoon jersey would be much too drapey and ... I don't know... ephemeral to stand up to all those pleats, but I also imagined this fabric falling in soft folds instead of sharp pleats and, in my minds eye, this pairing seemed inspired. At the time. I'm not 100% sure how I feel about the end result, but there are a few reasons for this.

Chief among them being that this was one of those patterns that suggests jersey as a possible fabric, but only includes instructions for wovens. Total pet peeve of mine. Why do you do this, Big 4 Patterns?? Why?! Who understitches a jersey?? I ended up following the instructions as they were written, my reasoning being that this viscose jersey wasn't extremely stretchy, and that the style itself didn't have any areas of negative ease, so I really didn't need the fabric to stretch.  It turned out mostly all right, however there are a few areas where the stitching pulls the fabric too tight and I got some puckering - like around the pockets.

Speaking of the pockets - I love how deep and slouchy these are! They create some volume around the hips which helps balance the blousy-ness of the bodice. You can also get a peak at the accompanying slip I made for this dress. This was included with the pattern and I was soooo tempted to skip it! However my jersey was very sheer and really needed a slip, and I didn't own any plain white slips, so I decided to give it a go. I used some white crepe de chine I've had lying around. I had barely enough to make this slip, which is all cut on the bias.  I sewed it up one night after work and expected it to go together in a couple hours. The slip had different plans. It was just so finnicky! I forgot how stressful sewing bias cut garments can be! However, I'm glad to have it.

The back is definitely the most boring view of the whole dress.  The back waistband is gathered with elastic (yawn) and the pockets wrap around the hips (the potential is there but it leaves me feeling a bit 'meh').  I sewed a straight size 12 for this dress, but probably could have sized down. I tried it on after inserting the elastic and the waist was very loose, which, combined with the loose, drapey bodice, the saggy hip pockets, and the large print, made for a very unflattering dress. Luckily, the solution was simple, I just cut a smaller length of elastic to pull the waist tighter, which created the shape I was missing before.  I also only had 1 inch wide elastic on hand, and this pattern calls for 1.5 inch wide elastic. I thought I could get away with it, but it really does look a bit sloppy, so I think I'll switch it out for wider elastic when I make my next Joanne's run. 

If I'm being truthful, this dress kind of stressed me out. I probably should have tried to make something a bit more straightforward this month because I was in the midst of a very labor intensive install at the gallery which had me running on fumes. But I had a vision! And dammit, I wanted to see it come to fruition! But the combination of this delicate knit, the instructions, and all those pleats (seriously, it felt like they were never ending... I think I spent three nights after work skipping dinner and just sewing fricking pleats. I could be exaggerating. But I don't think I am) and that shifty bias slip had me crying out in frustration on more than one occasion! And then, when it was time for me to try it on, I couldn't quite decide if I was wearing the dress, or if the dress was wearing me! The combination of the print and the pleats and the drapes just seemed like... a lot. 

But I think it's growing on me. Now that I'm on the other side of my work stress and I've had a few good nights sleeps under my belt (and stopped skipping meals) I can look at this dress and see that maybe it's actually the right amount of everything.  

Maybe...

xx