Today's post is on Vogue 1314. This is a Tracy Reese pattern that was published a few years ago. I first tried it out shortly after the release. Since then, I have concluded that most knit dresses with ruching on the sides are not the best for me.
This dress does require an FBA but doing so caused way too much fabric to accumulate below the bust area. The affect of the ruching disappears in the excess fabric. With first version I tried to reduce the FBA by half to see if that would help. It didn't.
So I decided to try to made a simple t-shirt type dress using the lining (front and back) instead. This worked, but was not perfect for a few reasons. The first had to do with again the excess fabric below the bust. Vertical darts could easily eliminate that problem. The second issue was much more glaring. My fabric was not as pretty on the body as it was on the cutting table at Vogue in Evanston.
I found it on the assorted knit table. It called me, but I should not have answered. Oh it's pretty. This sherbet orange knit has a raised oval pattern throughout, which makes for an interesting knit dress or top.
The problem is when it is on the body, the textured ovals disappear on the areas that are curved or have no ease. And where there is ample wearing ease the pattern is visible and looks a bit wrinkled. I pondered the look for days and thought "I am not going to wear this". But I've spent so much time on this pattern and dress(es). I can make it work. So, on with the dress and off to Rainbow beach on the southeast side of town.
Clearly, this is not a good look. The stretch of the dress is not consistent across all areas of my body and it just does not look good. So this one I will give away.
But I'm not defeated yet. I will give this pattern one more try with a different type of textured knit.
Observation: All textured knits are not created equal. Be careful when selecting textured, colorful knits. Sometimes, when they speak to you, it's okay to ignore them.
Ruching can be flattering. But it must be in the right places. Please test.
Question: This problem fabric did raise a question regarding fitting knits over the curvy areas of the body. How much ease should there be for a simple dress? Half inch or inch? How much ease for the rest of the body without considering style/design? How tight is too tight?
Cennetta
I think you look pretty fantastic in this dress. It totally shows off your curves and your legs look amazing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kendra. My concern was with how the fabric wears across the different areas on my body. The texture is not consistent and looks wrinkled in certain areas.
DeleteI like ruching but not on my body so I give you props for making this dress, not once, not twice but 3x! Glad to see you sharing your sewing!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carolyn. More and more I'm seeing that ruching is not flattering on certain areas on my body. The next version will be made with the lining pattern as well. Hopefully the knit I've selected is better suited for it.
DeleteOh no! Well, it looks cute in the pictures! You wouldn't even be happy with it as a top? It looks great for fall!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jenny. I'm just going to gift it to someone.
DeleteI have to say when I saw your first photo my thought was that this knit wrinkled a lot. You explained that a way. I liked your statement not all textured knits are equal and sometime you should ignore them if they are speaking to you. I so totally agree, I have had that issue several times. You make such beautiful garments that it is the law of averages that you will make a wadder every now and then.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Linda. I thought it would be a good idea to share this experience. Others may experience the same issue. Some of my projects are not winners and sharing a few lets others know, I'm not a perfect sewer. Some I toss and others I give away.
Deletei think the rule I was given and follow for handknits works for cut and sewn knits as well. Negative ease at the bust, positive ease at the waist and 0 at the hips is most flattering.
ReplyDeleteThanks, MakeitAnyWear. I agree with that rule. But given the texture of the fabric and making the FBA, it did not wear for this dress as I did not want to add vertical darts to the front and back of the dress. We will see how the next version turns out. Thanks again.
DeleteI was shocked to read that you thought this dress was a fail. My first thought on seeing the dress was, "Wow, what a great dress! Such a flattering style." It doesn't look too tight in the photos, just "bodycon" style.I also think the color looks fantastic on you. I am looking forward to seeing the 3rd iteration, but I think you are too self-critical. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Annie, My main concern is within the texture of the knit. Thanks again.
DeleteCheck out the new Palmer/Pletsch book Knits for Every Body. They give great advice on deciding ease in knits. They also say ruching only works when you make the pattern tight- negative ease. Otherwise it droops and there is too much fabric. I have cut ruched knit patterns loose, thinking it would be more flattering, but it didn't work. I would cut it off and make a tunic. The color looks good on you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the point of reference. The ruching failed in the first try due to the FBA which adding width from the bust down. I didn't think darts would not be appropriate for the style of dress (ruched at the waist). Thanks again.
DeleteI tried this pattern also and was so frustrated with how the ruching looked on my body that I not only threw away the dress but I crumpled and tossed the pattern. I don't think I have ever, ever thrown away a pattern before this one.
ReplyDeleteWow, Nancy! I had the same thought but wanted to redeem the pattern in some way. That's why I decided to use the lining to at least get a decent t-shirt style dress out of the $4.99 Vogue pattern. Thank you for sharing.
DeleteWhat a shame you are unhappy with the dress. It is a lovely color and you look beautiful in it. However, I do see what you mean about the texture wearing differently on different parts of the body.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you posted the dress being worn differently. I thought the cloth just needed a bit of ironing, I didn’t notice it had oval patterns at first! So any tips on selecting textured knits? I am just starting with sewing (I enrolled in a basic class) and read blogs (like Kayla Green’s) to learn more. So any tip would be helpful for me!
ReplyDelete