European Holiday Sheath Dress:)

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

          Good morning my sewing friends! I made this dress last month and took some photos but ended up tweaking it to improve the fit. There was gape around the armholes  and neckline. There's still some gape at the neckline but the fit at the shoulders is better and that make the most difference. Unfortunately adjusting the shoulders resulted in the armholes being higher and tighter. I can live with it though. I will make a few more adjustments in the future.

     The fabric I used is this colourful cotton sateen purchased ages ago from Fabricville. Its one of the first cuts of fabric I ever bought. I actually planned to make a dress with it last Summer but there was an Islamic terrorist attack in Italy at the time so I decided to set it aside. The print, with its leaning tower of Pisa & Eiffel towers printed all over it puts me in mind of a European holiday, hence the name:) Just realized "Hotel Negresco" is in Nice, France.

McCalls 8789

        I mentioned in my previous post that my first attempt at garment sewing was to try to make a fitted sheath with a square neckline. I had a similar RTW dress that I loved til it literally wore out. Needless to say I knew nothing about fitting a pattern or how to make adjustments and my dress was a major flop, lol. I recently purchased a Craftsy class on fitting (Joi Mahone) which was a good introduction. I've been trying to incorporate some of Nancy Zieman's techniques as well. Fitting is definitely a good skill to learn. I can understand why people draft their own patterns from scratch.

     I left the dress unlined but will probably wear either a full or half-slip underneath. Makes a big difference. I could have lined it but I wanted to work out the fit a bit without having to worry about the extra step. I made a small sway-back adjustment that I didn't make for my African print sheath but will do in the future.

 
       It was nice to finally use this print that has been marinating in my stash foreeever!! Lol. I was so afraid to ruin it, but in the end I suppose its only fabric. I really like the cotton sateen, a little stretch is nice!  How about you? Do you find it difficult to use certain pieces you've bought or do you just go for it? Any long-stashed items you've used recently or plan to use soon? What are you working on now?:) I just finished a faux wrap dress that I will hopefully get good photos for on Sunday and post about early next week:) I also purchased a Sew Over It Heather Dress pattern earlier this month. My dear husband will be printing it for me today and I'm planning to get started on it tonight!

Til next time! Have a wonderful day everybody!:)