Mash Up - Lady Renfrew Skater

 JB says this fabric made him dizzy to look at. 

The fabric is a pink/red and black tiny stripe knit that I got at JoAnns.  I really need to stay out of there and spend my fabric money at Mood or Fabric Mart.  This dress won't last long - the fabric is thin. 

This dress is totally a mash up.  I started with the Lady Skater and honestly, made no adjustment to the neckline shape - other than to omit the neck band.  Instead I added a single layer cowl from the Renfrew pattern. 

I still need to take length out of the bodice of this pattern.  The skirt - even though it's not heavy in this thin knit - pulls the waist seam down making it lower than my waist.





To tone down the bright - pinkness and the dizzy factor - I wore it with black.  Belt, cardigan, nylons and boots. 

I have been teaching The Musical One how to hem dresses for me.  JB has no interest in learning.  In fact, I had to go on strike and refused to cook Sunday dinner until one of them learned and helped me.  I need to either get back to the same size that Lou (the Dummy is) or adjust her to fit me.  Then I can mark the hem myself. 

This is an issue because for some reason - this dress has a high/low hem.  Ummm - I'm not a huge fan of the trend, but it hangs evenly and make a smooth transition from front to back.  Due to the short lifespan of this dress (see fabric issues above), I'm not going to bother fixing it. 



Not sure what's going on in this photo - what I was looking it.  Maybe the pile of shoes in the entry way.  I would really like to replace that bench and hide those shoes. 

For those who are wondering - the Renfrew cowl fits on the Lady Skater just fine.  I wish it was drapier.   Is that a word? 

So now I've made 3 versions of the lady skater and have another one planned - hopefully this weekend.  Right after I make a fancy dress for a charity event in a few weeks.  ::gulp::

Why?

Carolyn said in the comments to the last post "Honestly I wonder why you strive to fit a sheath dress when these flare skirted dresses look sooooooo beautiful on you!"

I've been thinking about this since she posted that comment.  And the truth is - a sheath dress seems grown up to me.  More office appropriate.  I think it gives the impression that you know what you are doing.  I'm not sure that a grown woman wearing a pink ditsy print floral full skirted dress can really be taken seriously.  Am I wrong? 

I have, however, given up on the New Look dress for the moment.  I needed to make something I could wear out of the house.  So, today I'm sharing the second dress I made last weekend - yes, I made 2 dresses in just over 2 days.  The second dress started with pattern #4 from Ottobre Woman May 2013.  I'm sure Angie could figure out how to get the line drawing in here - but I can not.

Next - I grabbed some solid (yes Carolyn - solid) ponte knit I bought this summer.  In a nice, boring grey.  If the dress didn't work out I still wanted to have my red ponte available.  And I traced the pattern about going blind.  I did my normal blending of sizes.  Serged the shoulder raglan seams and then basted everything else.  The Musical One is getting lessons in fitting - whether she wants to learn or not.  It's the price you pay for still eating dinner at Mom's most Sunday's when you're almost 30!  So, she pinned the side seams in and pinned darts in the back.

I decided that the boring grey dress was the perfect back drop for my beach glass modern quilt wrap.  And this is what I wore to work today. 

One I got over feeling exposed because of how close fitting this dress is - I was very comfortable all day.  I have a piece of blue and white striped patterned ponte from Girl Charlie that may be my next make. 

It's a knit sheath dress!  As one of my co-workers pointed out - it skims my curves.

I received loads of unsoliciations on the scarf.
The dress provided the perfect backdrop for it.

feeling a bit sassy!

I d love this wrap!  It's so much fun and incredibly warm.
But - because it's patterned, it doesn't get worn often.

 

New Look 6224

or the last dress of Summer. 

 

The fabric is a very light weight, floral jersey from Girl Charlie.

 

The pattern is a combo of New Look 6224

for the bodice and the Lady Skater for the skirt.

 

 

 This pattern is for wovens.

But honestly, I couldn't be bothered.

I made it with a knit and it worked just great.

 

I made this dress the last weekend in September.

It was comfortable and easy to wear.

I love the Lady Skater skirt - it's fun.

 

There is some green in the print so I put on a green belt to help highlight my waist.

I still have one and I like to show it.

My Entry in the County Fair

This year, I entered something in the county fair.
Not the Puyallup Fair - if you are from around here, but the Monroe Fair.

I entered the shawl I knit for that sweet bride back in May.
I borrowed the shawl from her to enter it.

and I won!  Not one - but 3 ribbons!
I was thrilled to death - first place, crafter's choice and Grand Champion! 
(the ribbons have been crammed in a bag - really, what am I going to do with them?)

Grand Champion!  It doesn't get any better than this.
I don't need to ever enter another item in the Fair.
Did as good as I could on my first try.

NL6095 Take 2

I've asked for some fitting sessions with Judy Barlup for my birthday.  Maybe I'll get them.  If not - I plan to use my 'monthly mad money' to take some classes with Judy.  In the meantime, this weekend - I retraced the front and back of the dress.  I took a 1/4" tuck above the bust, a 1/2 tuck above the waist and a 1" tuck below the waist - that's all I did.  Taking that last tuck below the waist, smoothed out the drastic hip curve some. 

from the bust up, the fit is good.  However,
the bust darts are too high and need to be lowered by about 3/4"

from the side - the side seam pulls to the back.
and now I have those lovely diagonal lines over the butt, again.

the back is just all over too tight and the shape on the hips is still wrong.
That being said, I can move and sit comfortably in this.

Still need to take a swayback wedge out of the back and curve the back seam more.

Arg - this is hard to do by yourself.  I really need to teach JB to help with fitting. 

The Ugly Truth

NL 6095 front holding the hips out.
Drag lines from the bust to the waist.

from the side, you can see what a mess the back is.
Partly because my arm is raised.  Definitely too much fabric at the sides,
but what are those lines over my butt?  And do you see the lines going diagonally over the thighs?
 

back wrinkled mess.  Looks too tight at the bra band - but doesn't feel that way.
Sway back adjustment?  Too much length in the back?

back closer

bust, neckline and shoulders are all actually good.  The dart could be slightly longer,
but there is no pulling across the bust.
Again - I'm seeing diagonal drag lines from the side to the center front.

I had just undone the zip to pull the dress off.
JB told me to stop!  Put your arms back up.
This really shows how exaggerated the hips are.

Good idea of how Elisalex might look on me?