Goodness, It Worked!

Stash busting 2014:  Lida Baday Dress

Fabric:     3 metres

Pattern:   McCall's 8823

Back view

Goodness, I can't believe it worked out.

A couple of days ago, I was ready to raise the white flag and throw in the towel after the first fitting. Perhaps it was the love for this fabric that wouldn't let me quit and the fact that my brain wouldn't stop thinking about it. I don't know why I was almost ready to quit because one of the things I love about sewing is the problem solving and challenge. And finding a good fit on this dress did prove to be a challenge. I have a table full of trimmings to prove it!  

First, lets talk about the fabric.

This silk fabric has been in my stash for decades, since the days that I lived in Toronto. I picked it up for a song at a going out of business sale. I haven't come across fabric like this since, especially in black. There is still another two metres of this fabric left. And this is the same fabric that I used to make the first version of this dress.

Since this is a light-weight fabric I used the fashion fabric for the bodice lining pieces.  

The 1997 McCall's pattern has been in my stash for quite some time as well. I actually have three copies of this pattern. Hmmm, might be time for a pattern give-away? It is a Lida Baday design, she is a Canadian designer who recently announced that she will be closing shop. Early in her career she designed patterns for McCall's and this is one of them.   

I cut out the dress as a size 16 but it was too large in the bodice area and sat low making it appear that there wasn't enough room in the hip area. I had to make several alterations and adjustments to make it work.  

1. Cut 2" off the shoulder, raising the waist and hip line to a comfortable level.  
2. Took in the side seam just below the armhole 3/4" removing a total of 3" from the bust line.  
3. Lowered the underarm 1"
4. Lowered the front square neckline 2"
5. And then did the same changes to the facing piece.  

Oh, and on the pattern pieces, before I cut out the dress, I did shorten the hem length by four inches. If there wasn't all the fitting issues to contend with, this would have been a quick project. Instead, this pull-over dress took the weekend to complete. I'm just relieved that it worked out in the end.

I'm not sure that I love this dress as much as I did the first time around. I like it, I like it a lot, just not as much as I thought I would. Maybe all the fitting issues diminished my excitement for this project as the days wore on.

Promise, the next project won't be in black.  

Happy Sewing!