Sewing

A Pretty Ivory Bra

~ Michelle

Just before I heard about the Bra-Makers Supply’s Challenge that started in January, I was finishing up some touches on my bra draft. So this post is actually a make that’s a few months old now. The challenge created so many posts, but I didn’t want to leave this make out.

Here’s my draft again.I wanted to change the cups on this to make them a little rounder. I also wasn’t completely happy with my power bar. Something seemed a little bit off where the strap tab and the underarm were meeting. I also changed the band to a downward hike, but it needed work too. More on that later in the post.

All Those Details

 Before the BMS Challenge, the last number of bras I’d made had been slapped together. No top-stitching, no taking time with details. It was so nice to take my time and focus on some of those details again.

One detail was which sheer cup lining I wanted to use behind the lace. I have both white and beige. Hmm. There’s really very little difference between these two, but I decided to use the white. Seeing as my lace is a little bit darker than the ivory duoplex I’m using, I thought the white behind it brightened it up a bit. I even enjoyed taking my time with all the top-stitching. I was only finished the cups in the above photo, but they were so pretty I had to take a photo.

 My New Bra  

My bra looks perkier on the clear display form, and less East-West looking too. Catherine’s days as a bra display may be numbered! Especially now I have a display I can use for bras and panties.

Oh, but Catherine is my only display that is pinnable. She’ll still be getting use.

Do you see the upper band on this bra is a little slack? It’s that way on me too.

I used this band again on my red bra for the February Challenge after looking at all my measurements. This should have fit. The only thing I could think of was the I didn’t pull on the upper band elastic for this one. On the red one, I pulled on the elastic and it fits just fine.

Happy creating!

Cloned Panties

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

As a second pair of panties to go with my make for the Bra-makers Supply February Challenge, I decided to clone a favorite discontinued style. I’d saved one pair of these for years to do just this. Just look at this side feature. This is why I wanted to clone these.

Finishing the Fold-Over Elastic

I cut them apart and traced my pattern. I was still saving the panties though. I wanted the bits that were left to study how they’d been put together. Sadly, someone else saw them, thought they were garbage, and threw them out.

I had to do my best from memory to put these together. Here’s what I did.

First, I marked each piece of fold-over elastic.Next, putting right sides together, I matched up the elastics with their counter-part. I pinned the elastics right sides together while they were still open, or unfolded.I sewed them along the line I marked.I trimmed them. so there wouldn’t be a lot of material in the fold.Next, I folded them. That little bit in the middle did make them a bit bulky. They kept opening, so I pinned away.Lastly, I sewed along that length of fold over elastic that was now joining the front and back, both at the waist and the hip.

Second Set

  Here are my panties and my Satin bra for the February Challenge. The panties are cotton Lycra and fold-over elastic. Not using satin on them, I didn’t submit these for the challenge.I love this view below. It shows both the upper cup and the panty side. The fold-over elastic finish on the upper cup goes so well with the fold-over elastic detail on the panties.
And here’s the back.I’m really pleased with how these turned out. I think they’re a charming match for my February Challenge make.

Happy creating!

Bra-Makers Challenge – February

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

As soon as I saw the Bra-Makers Ultimate Challenge, I decided it was something I wanted to do. For most of January and February, I’ve been turning things down. No, I don’t want to do that, try that, or join that. However, the Challenge fit with what I wanted to do – focus on building my skills.

 February’s Challenge

Here’s the challenge for February:

February –  Love yourself – make any bra, bralette or panties using red stretch satin. There were a few more guidelines on the BMS website.

Isn’t this a sumptuous color? Just click on the link or the photo to go to the BMS website and see it for yourself. I’ve never worked with stretch satin before. But I’m game.

Plans

 While I’m trying some of these new fabrics and patterns, I’m going to incorporate ideas I’ve picked up along the way. One of those ideas is to try the ‘better Shelley strap extension‘. Beverly wrote a tutorial on how to make an extended strap attachment. This photo is from the BMS blog. I thought this looked lovely when I first saw it.

Here’s was my sketch trying to decide what to make for February. Did I want to add lace over satin for the power bar? I even entertained using red mesh finished with fold over elastic instead of lace on the upper cup.

All I had decided for sure was to add sheer cup lining to the cups as the satin is a stretch material.

I also drew some new panty ideas for the challenge.I planned to use my mashed-up Aphrodite pattern, but I wasn’t as happy with it as I hoped. I didn’t like my mash-up. The original pattern is so lovely. Unfortunately, I don’t like elastic at the waist and leg openings.

Putting Plans into Action

I ended up using my drafted panty pattern. These are stretch satin and cotton Lycra. Then finished with stretch lace at the waist and leg openings. I’m loving these!

I added a lace garment tag to the side. I’ve added these tags to panties I’ve made in the past.Here’s the side view.  And the back. I was almost out of cotton Lycra, so had to make these with a seam in the back.I love these! Next I made a the bra to match.

Matchy Matchy

There are so many things I love about this bra! Well, let me show you.The whole bra cup and cradle is stretch satin. I’ve lined the cup and cradle with beige sheer cup lining. That little part on the upper cup that looks like there’s nothing there? That’s sheer cup lining. It disappears against the skin.

A Few Features

The pattern I used for this bra is cloned from a RTW bra. I loved how the cups fit, but there are a few elements about the bra that are uncomfortable and don’t fit.

So, I lowered the bridge and the underarm to help make this more comfortable than the original.

Another change was for design only –  to split the upper cup. The lower half of the upper cup is stretch satin and sheer cup lining. The upper half of the upper cup is sheer cup lining alone, then finished with fold-over elastic.

Lastly, I extended the strap as per Beverly’s instructions.

Below you can see I only pulled on the elastic in the underarm area where it’s usually pulled. I marked on the strap extension where the power bar ended and the extension began and made sure not to pull the elastic beyond that point.

Here’s the side view:Do you see those puckers where I gathered the cup to fit into the cradle? I don’t like that! Those puckers aren’t so noticeable when I’ve used duoplex. That made me sad.

Here’s the back:Oh, the back looks perfect! The red power net really matches the stretch satin well. I debated using the satin for the band too, but had some red power net in my stash, so went with that.

  What I Love

 I’ve shared with you what I don’t like (those puckers). However, when it’s on me the cup is more filled out than on the display. (I still don’t like them.)

So now, how about something I love about this bra? I love the upper cup!I love this sheer cup lining detail. It turned out better than I had hoped.

I did make a second pair of panties to go with this bra. I’ll share those next week.

Happy creating!

What is a Tester Frame

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

A few posts back I’d shared a recent draft. I also mentioned using a tester frame for my bra. Let me share a little about tester frames here in this post.

First Impressions

I first read about a tester frame in the Bra Makers Manual Vol. 2. I remember I made one and tried it. I also made a note in the manual. I found it hard to sew the cups into that frame, and I didn’t try it again for quite a long time.

Yes, my manuals are filled with my thoughts in the margins alongside the actual instructions.

My note may say ‘fit’, but I was meaning it’s awkward to sew the cups into the frames. However difficult I found it to sew the cups into the frame after the channeling and wire have been added, it’s still a great way to check and see, first, if your frame is going to fit. And once you have your frame, if the cups fit.

I just had an idea to take the wires out for sewing and it might make it easier to sew in the cups. I’ll have to try it.

Second Exposures

My second exposure to a tester frame was from Merckwaerdigh’s blog. This is her photo.  Margreet took us through the steps of designing a bra, and part of that was testing the cups in a frame.

My Take on a Tester Frame

   For my second take on a tester frame, I had drafted my cradle, band, and cups and sewn up the bra. I knew the cradle and band would fit and they did. I didn’t expect the cups to fit, and they didn’t. They were too small. Yet I still sewed up the bra.

Let’s talk about those cups for a minute. The cups’ measurements were taken while wearing a RTW bra. That bra cups are made with stretch material. That gave me measurements that were too small because I wasn’t using  stretch material now; I was using duoplex. 

So why would I make a bra when I knew the cups wouldn’t work? Well, I knew the rest of the bra would be fine. I also knew I now had a bra that was more supportive which allowed me get new, better measurements.

Once I took my new measurements with this new bra, there was no use left for it. I could simply cut the hardware out of it, unpick all the elastics, and throw the rest away. I could donate it. Or I could use this frame for a tester frame.

Repurposing that Ill-Fitting Bra

If you have a bra that doesn’t fit the way you want it to fit, and want to make a tester frame, you have to remove the cups.

Here’s what I did.

On the bra, I measured from the seam along the bottom of the cup into the cup by a half-inch, Then I cut along that line.

See the black on the edges? That’s the 1/2-inch mark. That little bit of material sticking out is what is left of those too-small-cups that I’d cut out.

I also cut the seam where the strap joins the cup.

Now what’s left is a tester frame. It has straps, hooks and eyes, elastics, a bridge, the cradle for new cups. It has everything a bra has, except the cups.

What was left of the too-small cups I threw away. There was no use for them now.

Testing the Frame

I sewed up new cups and marked the 1/4-inch seam on those. In the photo above, you can see the bright pink line on the cups – that was going to be my seam line.

I got out some black thread and a needle and started sewing them into the frame by hand. Remember I found it hard to sew them in by machine. If you do try using your sewing machine, take the wires out, and move your needle over to the far right. Those two suggestions should make a difference. Oh, and use lots of pins!

Or sew the new cups in by hand.

I sewed the new cups in as closely as possible to the original seam in the cradle on the tester frame.It wasn’t pretty, but it was completely functional for its purpose – to see if these cups would fit. And they did.

Happy creating!

A New Display Form or Two

~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

My display form family is growing! I was recently asked if I wanted a couple of display forms. I didn’t have to think for even a minute.

My Display Form

My first display form is exactly like one I was using when I first started to blog. It wasn’t mine however. It was one in the boutique where I was working. It worked so well, my husband bought me one just like it. My oldest DS dubbed her Catherine. He said she looked like a Catherine. She’s been Catherine ever since. You can see I use her a lot, and she is still much-loved. But she doesn’t work the best for displaying bras because we’re not the same size. And because she doesn’t have any legs at all, she really doesn’t work for panties. However, she’s been all I had for a few years, and I made do with her.

So, back to the question, do I want a couple of displays? Wait. Here’s the best part… in my size. In my size? YES!

First New Display Forms

This was the photo I was sent. Ooh, does the pretty bra come with it? Wouldn’t that be fun?

These came from Kimberly of Kimtimates when she was doing a bit of a destash. Two displays… in my size! I’m thrilled to get them.

 Here’s a recent make of mine on the new display. That’s a good fit. No foam cups to fill out the cups. No bead-forms stuffed into the cups. It’s great! Thank you, Kimberly!I’ll share more on this bra soon.

And Yet Another Display Form

It wasn’t very long after I got these two, that a friend of mine posted a few photos. She’d picked up these display forms for her business.Right away I was asking her questions. Where did she get them, how much did they cost?

She’d picked these up at Sears when it was closing. When I asked about other displays, she posted these photos.I knew I had to go see for myself. I’ve really wanted a better way to display panties.

By time I got to the store, there weren’t as many as shown here. And it was an odd experience to see a whole floor with only display forms. There was one room of toddler forms, most of them without heads. The clerk working there said that room was a highlight for people to take a selfie. I didn’t feel any urge to do that. It was kind of creepy.

He also told me he often came into work and found the displays in “compromising” positions. I didn’t see anything inappropriate, but I did find a great display while I was there. You’ve probably seen it a few times in recent posts.

The Negotiations

  After picking out the display I liked best, I asked her price. He said $100. I didn’t say anything. Then he said everything was half price. So $50. I’m not entirely sure why he didn’t just say $50 to start.

I did realize $50 was a good price, but all the displays that were left had scratches on them, and we’d had a discussion about them all having scratches. The one I picked out has scratches on her too. I know me too well, and I’m going to want to find the right paint to fix her up, and not leave her scratched up. So, I still didn’t say anything.

Then he said, how about $35. I said that would be great.

Here she is decked out in my Craftsy t-shirt, a fun jacket, and a tie that needs mending.I’m happy to have a display for panties. Here are my self-drafted Hipster panties. Even though we’re not the same size, these look pretty great on her.Panties just never looked this good pinned onto the front of Catherine.

Here’s my most recent bra on her with the same panties. I’m still in the same situation of having to fill the cups, but I only needed the foam cups here. This display has a little more going on than Catherine.I’m thrilled to get all of these new displays!

Happy creating!

Boyshort Panties

~ Michelle ~ 8 Comments

Beverly Johnson has a new class on Craftsy. Lingerie Essentials: Boyshort Panty Styles. It is a great class!As soon as it came out, I signed up. I love Beverly’s classes. I have them all and have watched them all too, which I can’t say for all my Craftsy classes.

A few people have told me they saw the above image and thought the class was about making briefs. They weren’t interested in making briefs. Don’t be fooled! Those are boyshorts. They’re a combo brief boyshort. You can see more on them later in this post. I made a pair of these.

Great Fit

I was planning to make boyshorts to go with my January BMS Challenge submission. Before I cut into the very pretty lilac cotton Lycra I had, I decide to make a muslin. My muslin fit so well, I decided they weren’t going to just be a muslin, I had to get some nice lace out and make them into wearable boyshorts. Here they are on my new display. I’ll share more about this display soon.In the first photo the shorts are pinned. In the second photo they’re unpinned. I definitely have more going on in the hip and thigh than this display!

Here they are from the back.Again, pinned and unpinned.

When I held these up, I loved the shape! They reminded me of ’50s shorts. I know they’re higher-waisted than most boyshorts, but they were just too cute to change. They also reminded me of these high-waisted Ooh Lulu Betty panties.I’ve always loved this shape.

I was so happy with these, I did make a pair to go with my bra for the Bra-Makers Supply Challenge. I made the combo brief/boyshort lace-backed pattern Beverly teaches in the class. The combo brief/boyshort is the one shown in the photo for the class too.

 Lavender Set with Matching Boyshorts

Here’s the lilac set I made for the BMS January Challenge. I drafted the bra using the information in Beverly’s Bra-makers Manual Vol. 2, and I drafted the panties from Beverly’s new Craftsy class.I LOVE lilac! I don’t know why I haven’t had a lilac bra and panty set before.

I did decide to alter these panties though. They fit and were fun being high-waisted, but I wanted them to be more traditional boyshort style to see how they would fit. Boyshort styles usually gape at the back on me.

I lowered the waist and finished them with some lilac lace trim. And… they fit.  Below, on this side view, you can just begin to get a peek of the back. This is the combo panty I mentioned earlier. It looks like a brief from the front, but a boyshort from the back.Here’s the full back view of the bra and panty.

Oh! All that lace! This is my favorite set I’ve made!

TNT

 I made a second pair of panties to match this bra using my self-drafted pattern for the panties. I am so happy with these lovely sets and am looking forward to the next BMS Challenge.

Happy creating!

Ultimate Bra-Makers Challenge

~ Michelle ~ 10 Comments

I had it all planned out. I bought some lovely ivory duoplex and power net to make both my tester bra and my first bra once the ‘final’ draft was completed.

Then something fun happened.

The Ultimate Bra-Makers Challenge

  Beverly, from Bra-Makers Supply, announced the Ultimate Bra-Makers Challenge starting in January 2018. Have you seen it? Here’s a blurb from the BMS site:

“Our idea is simple – each month starting on January 1, we will give you a theme with a challenge to complete by the end of the month. The challenge will be to use a new fabric or a new pattern chosen from Bra-makers Supply (yes, we will discount those items!) You can submit photos of the finished project to enter the challenge. Tag us on Instagram and Facebook @bramakerssupply and use the hashtag #bramakerschallenge2018… Each monthly winner will receive a $25 gift certificate from Bra-makers Supply. How easy is that?”

January’s challenge is the Pantone color of the year: Ultra Violet. SO pretty! I just happen to have a lilac kit from my trip to Ontario two years ago. I was saving it for when I got my draft just right.

The kit is one my hubby picked out. It had the paler lace that is on top in the photo. Something I’ve learned about myself in this bra-sewing journey is I prefer tone-on-tone bras. So if I’m going for red, I want all the tones to be close to the same shade. So I wasn’t over-the-top in love with the paler lace. I dug into my stash and found this darker purple, which was really nice. Then I saw this  lilac one on the BMS website. Love. That was the lace to go with my kit.

Pattern

I’m using my self-drafted pattern for this bra. I am so happy. This fits perfectly, and I love the color!

I used Beverly’s CD Designer Bras by You to create my own Shelley-style pattern from my draft.

Here’s the side view: Even though I’m drafting the pattern so there shouldn’t be any difference between the cups and cradle, I still find I’m having a tiny bit of a length difference. A quick little gathering stitch running along the bottom of the cup, and it fits in just fine. Also, there are no wrinkles on me, but a few on Catherine.

Here’s the back of the bra.When I was taking the photos for this, I noticed I missed catching the very bottom edge of the strap elastic under the eyes. I’ll have to take that back to the machine and tack  it down.

I love the lace detail on the back.

Road Bumps Design Elements

I had fixed everything on my pattern, and had my bra cut out. The cups were sewn. The lace was sewn on the band. The band was attached to the cradle. It was time to get the elastics out of the little finding kit and sew them on the band. Then I realized I had drafted my pattern for the ‘soft’ elastics. The new elastics I had in my kit weren’t going to work for this band.

I wasn’t happy.

The bra went into a time out.

I’ll have to draft a new band and label both bands – one ‘soft elastics’ and one ‘firm elastics’. That will save any future frustrations.

The next morning I pulled out some elastics from my stash. I tried some beige elastics behind the band, and then some black.

I decided the black looked better. Those little picots were almost a shadow behind the band. To bring all the elements together, I added a black bow behind the lilac one at the front.  The Gothic arch looks wonky here, but that’s just on Catherine. I tried to get it to lay flat, but it just wouldn’t.

I’m still deciding on the strap bows. I think I like the depth the black adds to the bows. I’ve made another black bow, so sewing them on is next.

Next panties to match.

Happy creating!

That Dress Revisited Part 1

~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

My hubby and I are part of a dinner group that meets once a month. We’ve been meeting for the better part of 10 years, and have a lot of fun. We’ve tried recipes from all over the globe. Sometimes we get dressed up, sometimes not. There was one PJ night; we all brought our favorite comfort food. Conversely, there was an Academy Award Night. Everyone wore black tie, and one couple arrived in a helicopter! Another special night you might remember was our Valentine Dinner almost two years ago.

 That Dress

My dress-shopping-friend is part of our dinner group, and after trying on all those gorgeous dresses, I suggested we dress up for our Christmas dinner. She was hosting, and said no. She had too much work to do to get everything ready. I understood.

I found out I wasn’t the only one who wanted to dress up. One of the husbands in our group requested we dress up too. My friend decided since a few of us wanted to dress up, we’d dress up.

I was hoping to make the McCall’s 7684, but by time this was announced, I had less than a week to make it! I still tried.

The Pattern

I’ve already shared a bit about how closely this pattern matches the dress I saw and loved.  Here they are side-by-side. That’s the same skirt, same tie, same pockets, same zip in the back. The top is a little different, but that’s it. What a wonderful pattern!

My Materials

 I got the pattern. I bought some gorgeous materials too. I bought a lovely stretch velour for the top, which is closer to the original dress’ design which is a knit top. I also bought a gorgeous rich black and red brocade for the skirt.

 Pattern Hack

The first thing I had to deal with is the pattern has a dart in it and I know I’m going to need a Full Bust Adjustment (FBA). That’s fine. I’ve done FBAs before, but never on a waist dart. I think I drew it out four or five times, and still wasn’t sure. I didn’t have time to make a muslin either. By time I was ready to cut, it was three days until the party.

I decided to change the pattern. I pulled out my hallå Agnes pattern and traced off the top. I’ve used it to make a few tops. It’s designed for a knit, and my material is knit. I’d decided it would work.

First Attempts

Well, it was a sad, stressful day of sewing. The first top I cut out of the stretch velour was a bit tighter than I wanted. The stretch velour didn’t have the same amount of stretch as the cotton Lycra I’d used in the summer, and in my rush, I didn’t even check how much stretch the velour had.

I added a little more seam allowance to the pattern and cut out a second top from the remainder of my fabric. This second one was just fine.

Then, I messed up the neckband.

I didn’t think about the direction of stretch when I cut the band. I only had a little bit of material left, and I was rushing and feeling stressed. There was only one direction I could cut the bands for the neck and arms, and it was the wrong direction.

I only realized it was the wrong direction after trying to serge it to the neckline.

My Hubby

I called my hubby and told him I’d messed up the top. Twice. By this time I only had one day left to make the whole dress. Not one to give up, I ask him, ‘Should I go buy more material for the top?’

He didn’t think I should – at least not to try to make the dress for the party. He suggested I buy more material and make a muslin, and in the meantime we go dress shopping. What a sweet hubby!

Guess what I found on sale? My dress! The dress I loved from first look, and made me feel beautiful when wearing it.

I think you know what I wore to my Christmas dinner. Next week I’ll share all about our dinner.

Plans

I am not giving up on sewing myself the McCall’s dress though. I have some new material for the top, and it’s one of my projects I have planned for this year.

Happy creating!

2017 Wrap-Up

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

I don’t usually do a wrap-up post, but this year I started out saying I was going to finish some unfinished projects, so I thought it would be fun to look back and see how I did.

2017’s UFOs

 I started off the year mentioning a few things on an ever-continuing sewing list I just wasn’t finishing. I did finish a few of them.I don’t want to cover everything I did this year – just a few highlights.

January, February, & March

In January, I worked on my personal croquis. This is something I’d wanted to do for a while, but had put off. I don’t know why I put it off for so long. I love it! It’s come in handy so many times, especially to digitally try on clothes to see how they’ll fit. 

January also saw me work on the Raspberry Ripple bag, which I finished in February.

In March, I drafted my first bra using the Drafting information in the Bra Makers Manual Vol 2. Although it looked okay, it didn’t fit properly. I hadn’t splayed my wires enough. Lesson learned and changes applied to the next draft.

April, May, & June

May is when I discovered the hallå agnes pattern. I love this pattern! I made five of them over the next couple of months. I have plans to make a few with sleeves for winter.

July, August, & September

In July, I helped organize the Canada 150 – It’s in the Bag blog tour. I also made my first Canada bag.I ultimately made four Canada bags, three of which are now in Columbia. I used the free Miss Maggie pattern by Emmaline Bags. This is a great pattern. I have plans for more Miss Maggies.

In August, I made another bra draft, and a Cloth Habit Watson bralette.

September was a big bra month. I made two more bra drafts, and another  Watson for Em.  

October, November, & December

In October, I helped to organize another blog tour. This time it was Canada Cups – Coming Unwired blog tour. I made a lovely Pin-Up Girls Sweet Sixteen bralette for myself. This is such a great pattern for having so many sizes. It’s supportive and pretty. What more can a girl want?In November, I helped organize one more blog tour. This time it was the ChrisW Designs Global Blog tour. For this tour I made the Serendipity Hip pattern for a friend.December came and saw one more bra draft, well two actually. The first draft didn’t fit and I wasn’t really expecting it to fit. That first draft of December led to a perfectly fitting draft. I’m ready to start bra-making again in the New year. What a great way to end my bra-making year!

Unfinished Business

   I still have a couple of things on my sewing list from this year that didn’t get finished.

Here’s the list that’s been sitting on my desk:

  • bra pattern
  • test bra pattern
  • read up on bag dividers
  • make a pattern for a bag divider
  • sew Raspberry Ripple.

Out of all of that, I did the first three. I found a pattern with a bag divider so skipped the forth one. There’s still one Raspberry Ripple all cut out and interfaced just waiting for me. I think that will be one of the first things I sew in 2018.

I said starting off, that my sewing list is ever-continuing. There are projects I’ve added for my 2018 sewing list.

  • I want to work on the design or style of my drafted bra pattern and sew a bra or two or three or four…
  • I have two lap quilts to sew.
  • A friend wants a robe.
  • I want to sew another handbag or two.
  • I have material to sew two winter Agnes tops.

That’s a few things to get me started in 2018.

Happy New Year, and happy creating!

Oh That Dress!

~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

Recently, a friend asked me to go ‘Black Tie’ dress shopping with her. That sounded fun, so we made plans.

She had a shop in mind, so we went through all the dresses there to see what was appropriate for a black tie event.

  Gorgeous Dresses

 My friend tried on a number of dresses, but only two were lovely enough to really consider.

This adorable cocktail dress looked great on her, but wasn’t suitable for a black tie event. It just looked too good on her not to be included in her final list. This is the evening gown she bought for the event. It’s gorgeous and it really flattered her figure.  

Having Fun

 After helping my friend pick out so many lovely dresses, and seeing her try them on, I couldn’t resist trying on a dress or two.

This was the first gown I tried on. I loved this, but it did not love me back. I should know this styling is not flattering to my shape as I’ve been curvy all my life – even when I was a size 5. You can see on my croquis below, it isn’t flattering. It looked worse in real life.

No, that was not the right style for me. It was very easy to pass it up no matter how nice it looked on the hanger.

The next dress was a lot harder to pass up.  

While my friend was debating her dresses, I tried this one on.

I had to snap a photo of me in the dress too. When you try something on and feel pretty… it stands out.

Here’s the dress from the back:  

Ooh, it’s so lovely.

 I came home and looked for a pattern that was similar. I didn’t have to look far.

McCall’s 7684

McCall’s 7684 view C looks almost exactly the same. Same skirt, belt, zip up the back, pockets. The top is different.

I phoned the fabric store to see if patterns were on sale and they were! I was off to pick it up right away.Here are the dresses side by side:Here’s just view C:
 I’m so happy I went dress shopping with my friend. We really did have fun! I’m even happier I found this pattern.

That’s enough dreaming for me. It’s time to get back to work on all those Christmas gifts I said I’d sew.

Happy creating!