New Look 6000 - Dress #2 A Little Holiday Spirit

New Look 6000

I finished the bead work on my daughter's second dress, Monday night. It took a while, but it was worth the effort. FX was featuring "X-Men Origin of Wolverine", so I decided it was as good a time as any to do the bead work on my daughter's second dress. So I watched the movie for the 100th time while I completed the dress.

Other bloggers and PR members inspired me to try this pattern. Its simple elegance is perfect for showcasing a beautiful fabric. My favorite view is View C. Here again, is a great basic pattern that has a few design options built in. Views E and D can be used to create a sloper for other dresses of the same style.

The pattern can be described as a fitted misses' dress, mid-knee with front side pleats or darts. The back has 22" inch zipper and darts. It comes with a two piece collar that over-laps on the front left. The pleated area can be embellished with fabric flower or beads. There are two sleeve options: 3/4 length with cuffs or short sleeves. View B is collared and sleeveless. The only description on the envelop is Misses' seven sizes in one.

Sizes are 4 to 16. I used size 10 with modifications.

My rendition looked like view C. I just added beads instead on buttons. I really didn't use the guide sheet during the construction of the dress.

When I sat down to write the review, I read them to help me identify the changes that I made and to properly review the construction of the dress. There was nothing difficult about the instructions.

There are quite a few things I liked about this dress. Most have been noted in other views. But here is my list:

 - Easy to make; Easy is always a plus. There is one less thing to consider when making adjustments to fit the body. Simple design lines and easy constructions techniques needed to make the garment.
  - Collar; For some reason, I really like dresses with this type of collar treatment.
  - Adorned Cuffs and Sleeve length; The below the elbow sleeve with the adorned cuffs is attractive to me.
  - Pleats; Love them along the side. Gives definition and option to add to design of the dress. I don't have any dislikes about the dress' design.

 My dislikes are related to its construction.

 - Facings; I prefer lining the dress. It adds body, sturdiness and it eliminates the need for a slip.
  - Zipper; I prefer an invisible zipper.
  - Flower; The flower pattern has a rolled hem edge. I prefer a pattern that conceal the wrong side of the fabric. (I didn't make that view, but it's one of my construction dislikes.)
  - Ease in Sleeve Cap; There is quite a bit of ease in the sleeve cap. You may want to take some of it out if your fabric is tightly woven.

I purchased this fabric at Hancock Fabrics about a month ago. It has a little stretch to it. The texture kind of reminded me of a stretch woven polyester taffeta. It's definitely a mystery polyester "something".

My changes and alterations include:

 - Pigeon Chest/Slight FBA Adjustment. This added a little length to the front side seams. I ease in the difference just above the side notch. (After thought - I think I added just a little too much. Next time I'll take out some of the adjusted fitting.)

 - Narrowed or Center Back Adjustment. I made a tuck in the center back section the length of the dress back. Then I added that amount starting at mid-back to the hem of the back dress.
 - Installed an invisible zipper.
 - Lined the dress instead on using the facings.

 - Added seed beads instead of buttons at the collar and cuffs. Also added them along the pleats.
 - Used Bias tape to finish the hem of the dress.

I plan to make this dress at least one more time for myself. This pattern has good bones. It sews up quickly and has simple, elegant details. I highly recommend it to others.

This is second of four dresses I'm making for my daughter. This one can be worn to holiday festivities or to church. My daughter loves it. And that's saying a lot. ;-)

Happy Sewing! C

 PS - Today she proclaimed, "Wrap this one so I can have something to open on Christmas Day!"