Saturday, January 31, 2015

Black and White: Contest and Wardrobe Capsule





A few months ago, Rhonda asked if I would be interested in participating in the "Motor Running Competition". I was delighted and accepted her offer. Each contestant was given about a 2/3 yard piece of fabric to incorporate into a design of their choosing.



The fabric is a shirt weight barkcloth that feels like a poly/rayon blend. I didn't know the name of the fabric until Rhonda told me, but have used it in years past. I like the texture and feel of it, but hate the wrinkles. I thought it would be great to incorporate in a kimono style jacket or accent for a skirt or dress. I couldn't decide. So I turned to Pinterest to find inspiration.



I chose a black polyester crepe to complement the barkcloth.  Even though they have slightly different texture, they work well together.

A swirl design in this evening gown caught my eye. I like the waist slimming affect of it, and thought it would be flattering on my somewhat boyish lower half. The illusion of a smaller waist and curvier hips was perfect for me.

Looking through my pattern collection, Butterick 5147 was the perfect starting point for drafting the front of the dress. I used this pattern twice before; here and here.  No need to go through the long process of making my standard alternations. My concentration was more on the design and the placement of the floral print.




My first step in the drafting process was to make a copy the full front of the dress, one pattern piece. After copying the front for the left and right sides onto tracing paper, I free handed drew the design lines dividing the pattern in three separate sections for the front of the dress. I tested placing the pattern over the fabric to determine how to use the floral design in the dress.





Oops, forgive the wrinkles.










Next, I cut the apart the pattern pieces. I added the seam allowances as needed while cutting the muslin. Surprising, there were not a lot of changes needed to the muslin. One of my concerns was with the placement of the bust and the vertical waist darts. My hope was to use the design lines to absorb the darts. I achieved that for the bust darts, but the waist was a little more challenging. Some of the excess fabric of the waist was absorbed in the half circular area (in the middle) and in the side seams. That was not enough, so I found the least noticeable area in the floral print to make a shallow dart. You can see it here.

I used the same pattern pieces to create the lining. Because I only had an off-white lining on hand, I made a front and back neck faces. I didn't want the lining to show. Vogue Patterns sometime include facings and separate lining pieces. I'm going to make a point to create facings for similar lined dresses.

My construction did create a little more bulk, but it's not bad. Once I worked out the design, sewing the dress was not difficult. It went together as easily as the previous versions. This one just has a little twist to it. A fun project.

Thank you Rhonda for asking me to participate.

Wardrobe Capsule Inspiration:  Black and White

Happy Sewing!
Cennetta

PS -  This was all that was left of the barkcloth panel.

76 comments:

  1. This is stunning! You did an amazing job using the fabric and placing the design. Love this!

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    1. Thanks, Carolyn. BTW- you are a great teacher on how to work a pattern! Thanks for being a great inspiration.

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  2. You really did an amazing job on this dress . I was unclear at first what you meant about the lining & facing pieces , but then it clicked & I got it . Really nice job on the inside as well !!

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    1. Thanks, Mary Ellen. I'm glad you got it. But please don't hesitate to ask questions on the blog or to send me an email. Thanks again.

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  3. Replies
    1. Thanks, Faye. Now I need a matching jacket. Too bad I don't have another panel for that! I guess it will be all white with, maybe, some white piping.

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  4. Wow, such a clever use of the panel and it looks amazing!

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    1. Thanks, Dilliander. I'd hoped it would turned out well.

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  5. This is gorgeous. Your design is very figure flattering. Beautiful work.

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  6. Replies
    1. Thanks, Rochelle. It's been a while since we have talked. Got to give you a call soon.

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  7. Very flattering and great placement of the print.

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  8. Wow, what a great use of your fabric. Great designing!

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    1. Thanks, Janet. This was a fun project. I will certainly wear thedress with pride.

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  9. Beautiful way to meet Rhonda's challenge! Stunning!

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  10. Fantastic dress! I love how you curved the pieces in the front. Extremely flattering!

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    1. Thanks, Ann. I thought so too. Making the decision to do the curve was a bit of a challenge. I'm happy it turned well. Thanks again.

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  11. Beautiful dress, great job on the design!

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  12. You are so talented! Love your use of this fabric. Great job!

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  13. Oh. My. Goodness. This is stunning! What a wonderful job you did with this.

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  14. Gorgeous dress and looks fabulous on you.

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  15. LOVE it Cennetta!!! You did that wonderful fabric justice!!!

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  16. Creating this dress took some creativity. You did an excellent job!

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  17. Cenetta, your dress is beautiful!

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  18. Oh so fabulous! Im gob smacked

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  19. Wow. I love what you've done with this fabric. You look so chic.

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  20. You did a really great job ! This dress is stunning !

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  21. Amazing how you put this all together. What a flattering and unique dress!

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    1. Thanks, Shannon. I was hoping it would turn out just another boring simple dress.

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  22. Gorgeous, you did an awesome job on this. Love it.

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  23. You did an amazing job using that fabric. Your placement of the fabric is very flattering. Beautiful

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  24. So beautiful - thank you for sharing!

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  25. Your creations are always on POINT. Beautiful, and I love the style.

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  26. wow! You look fantastic. Great job!

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  27. Stunning! So very flattering and it really shows off the fabric. Well done!

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  28. Clever use of amazing fabric. I really love this one.

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    1. Hi Gail. Thanks loads. I'm very pleased with the results as well.

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  29. Beautiful! It's very flattering on you.

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  30. Very smart dart placement - I couldn't see them at all! Love the design.

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    1. Thanks, PoldaPop. I'm so glad it's not noticeable.

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  31. Thank you for taking on the challenge. I LOVE what you made!!

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  32. So beautiful! Love what you did with the print placement!

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  33. My vote went to the winner! Congratulations, Cenetta! I loved your creativity and that's exactly why I voted for your beautiful dress. I'm SEW happy for you!

    Hugs and I trust you're enjoying your retirement,
    Kelley~

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  34. Oh... I absolutely LOVE this dress!!!!!!! Don't worry. If I make one for myself, it definitely won't use the same fabric combination. ;)

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