Due to popular demand (ok, there may have been two of you) I swallowed my pride to bring you the Muslin Mess (AKA the practice dress). This is actually more about version 2 of the practice dress. Version 1 was chopped up and sacrificed so I could fuss around with it a little more.
Why is this lady so sad? The front of this dress is too darn big. Everything from the waist down more or less fits fine, but it is too big in the shoulder and bust. Time to adjust the pattern by shortening the waist, shortening the shoulders, and removing the bust darts entirely. This was made out of a thrift store sheet but don't worry, it may come back in the form of a lovely apron or perhaps some curtains. On to version 2.
Now I am going to do my impression of someone flashing you their hospital gown. Actually, this front part is like a hospital gown or apron. Ladies, let me tell you- the fit of this dress is all about the darts in the front and the back. If it doesn't fit you first try, play around with the darts. You probably already guessed that. Perhaps you are an accomplished seamstress. I am teaching myself and found this out the hard way. Baste first and adjust as necessary. The pattern shows the front darts extending below the waistline. Yours truly has a high waist and a bit of a tummy so I just stopped the darts right at the waist for a little more room. Worked like a charm.
That's more like it! Don't I look manic? I mean happy? I feel like Doris Day in this, that is if Doris Day were a dumpster diver instead of a movie star. Of course the part that wraps around the waist will match the skirt in the real version. I found that bringing the skirt up by shortening the waist on the pattern worked really well for me. The skirt is really full and heavy, and when it wasn't sitting on my hips it dragged down and tried to strangle me in addition to pulling the shoulders of the dress back. We are not going for a drop waist here. It's supposed to hug those sides. If you have a bust maybe the bust helps hold the dress up? I have no idea. That's for you to know and me to find out. If you decide to give this pattern a whirl, let me know about your experience!
Oh yeah, I also used size 20 for the back (to fit around my waist) and size 18 for the front (because the top was too big). Again, worked like a charm! Mix it up! There's no rule that says you can't, you know.
Next stop- the real thing. Here's a blurry sneak preview. It's true- this dress really is easy to make once you figure out how to adjust it for your figure. Now I want one in every color!
