| Reader Comments |
| JenSews | 4/3/07 | edited to say: The fabric looks very pretty...and the changes made this look WAY better! |
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| Lady_Mame | 4/3/07 | I'm sorry it didn't work for you , as it looks very nice in terms of just itself. Maybe a friend could make it work so the project isn'ta complete wadder? |
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| Em's Summer | 4/3/07 | I'm sorry that it didn't work out, too, but I do agree with others that it looks really cute! |
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| Annette1 | 4/4/07 | That's the pits when something doesn't work out, after you've had to wrestle with the fabric, too. (I had a similar experience recently on a pair of pants.) It sure is pretty though. Maybe you can donate it to some organization, so somebody else can wear it, it's so pretty. |
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| fuzzygalore | 4/4/07 | Bad color is a real downer.. nothing can overcome that! Maybe a hint to go through your stash and get rid of similar colors before you waste more time on them ;-)?
But I'm intrigued by your comment that fullness is at the side in this skirt. Sounds like construction confusion, because a feature of this dress (and the similar Loes Hinse Portofino) is precisely that the fullness is at the center, with a slim fit on the hips. I also made this mistake in my first rev, and it was so icky that I undid the waist seam and rotated the skirt 90o the way it was supposed to be, improving the whole thing extremely. Take a closer look... |
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| AnneM | 4/4/07 | As I mentioned on the message board, I also am interested in this pattern but dubious on it. I think fuzzygalore has a point - I think the fullness is supposed to be in the center, so perhaps double check the instructions & reattach the skirt? |
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| cindy-lou | 4/4/07 | Nancy, you made a beautiful dress. Maybe your daughter would like it. It really is beautiful! |
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| clin | 4/4/07 | Sorry this did not work for you Nancy but in a way it vindicates me - I made this twice as I thought the first one was ugly on me because of the fabric I chose. Tthe next one - just as unflattering so not making it again. If someone with as neat a figure as yours feels this way then I think I was on the right track!! |
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| Jane S | 4/4/07 | Nancy, I had the same experience about 5 years ago when I tried this pattern. I did have most of the fullness in the front, as others have said, but it still looked bad on me. The short sleeves hit at the fullest part of my upper arm and the front waist seam had to be raised so it didn't cross my widest part...and then the fullness just hung there looking out of proportion. I'm with you, I never made it again and didn't miss anything except the time I spent on it. |
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| Marji | 4/4/07 | Nancy, I'm really sorry that it didn't work out for you, but, like clin, feeling a little vindicated. I bought this pattern, then upon closer inspection decided Not to make it.
That's what's so great about PR - we can learn from each others experiences. |
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| Mini | 4/4/07 | Didn't work for me either. It was quick and fun to sew, but never got worn. It's funny that I would never have bought this dress in RTW, but somehow thought the pattern would be okay on me:). |
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| Rustybobn | 4/4/07 | Oh, Nancy. I'm so sorry. I've seen versions of this dress that make the wearer look dumpy, so I know it can happen with some body types. This dress apparently looks wonderful on me, though, 'cause even my mother likes it.
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| OP Gal | 4/4/07 | Too bad this pattern didn't work for you. The fabric is lovely. I've wondered how this pattern made up, so now I know. |
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| Soliel | 4/4/07 | Sorry it didn't work out. It looks well constructed, though. I don't understand the fullness thing...I don't see any fullness. Probably something that needs to be looked at up close.
I know what you mean about the color thing...I've been more careful about choosing fabric, especially the color. I want it to work on all levels...so sometimes I have to say "no". |
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| Hilary | 4/4/07 | Well that's a shame, because it really looks beautiful on the dress form! But I understand about not having the color right-I used to make that mistake a LOT and now it is much less frequent, as I actually *think* about that now when choosing fabrics. LOL-I still get it wrong sometimes, tho! :o) Maybe someone else can benefit from this experience-who would love the dress! |
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| slanden99 | 4/4/07 | Very pretty dress. Sorry it didn't work out for you. Perhaps someone else could wear it--charity or friend/family |
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| Nancywin | 4/4/07 | OMG! Thanks for your comments - and I did go back and check the pattern. MY mistake! You would think the side seams go on the sides, but NO they go in the front and back! (Why oh why did I double stitch and serge that waist seam?) I guess I will tear it apart today and see what I can do with it. The color actually looks good on me when it is a sold color - I didn't think about the "sheer" factor and how it tones it down. I should have underlined it. I just love PR - thanks for all of your help! |
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| Debbie Lancaster | 4/4/07 | Nancy, I found when making this dress that it's VERY important to get the bodice fitted snugly, or it does indeed look dumpy. You need to get it fitted as snug as it can be and still go over your shoulders. Then the skirt flows out from the bodice and looks great. The other thing that's really important is to make sure that the tip of the front bodice is just above your waistline, or else the proportion of bodice to skirt looks weird. I had to go through three or four muslins to get it to fit right! That looks like a beautiful fabric--I'm sorry you put the skirt in wrong, but that's an easy mistake to make, since it's counter-intuitive. |
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| Dee2 | 4/4/07 | You look beautiful in this dress! Glad that you were able to revise it. This was a real collaborative effort. |
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| cindy-lou | 4/4/07 | Don't you love it when that happens?! I saw that comment too and never would have thought it woudl make such a difference (in fact, I wondered why on earth they put the skirt seam in front on that dress)-- now we all know. Thanks for letting us learn from your learning curve! |
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| Izzie | 4/5/07 | Your idea to put godets in the sleeves is brilliant! I've made this pattern a few times, and the one thing I don't like is that the sleeves are too snug...you have solved my problem! Thanks! |
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| Johsews | 4/5/07 | Your changes made a huge difference- congrats on seeing it through. I am the body type that this dress looks good on- long waist, small bust, not much hip/waist difference, on the short side (5'3"). I've found the key to it not looking dumpy is to put ties in the side seams or at the back darts- it makes it still easy to get on but takes away that looseness. Try it again in a linen/rayon mix- those are my favorites for hot days! |
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| fuzzygalore | 4/5/07 | Aaah, much better :-)! Although you're going to need a slip, or at least a very nice bra, from the closeup :-). Love your sleeve godet idea, it does look much better. I've also lengthened the sleeve to 3/4, it looks a lot less dumpy, but your idea is much better for summer. Well, glad that's not as much of a wadder as it first looked... |
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| Gold | 4/5/07 | Love the dress!Well made. |
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| SandraB | 4/5/07 | The dress looks lovely on you. But I know how it goes when you just don't feel good about a project. I made this dress a while back, and after wearing it a few times, it is just hanging in my closet. I think I stopped wearing it the day that someone asked me if I was pregnant. |
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| Doris W. in TN | 4/6/07 | Like Debbie Lancaster said, the bodice needs to fit snugly. In order to do that, I had to put a back zipper in my 'muslin' and the whole thing still didn't look right on me. I guess the dress is not my style but looks great on others. Thanks for your review....add me to the 'vindicated' list. ;-) |
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| SewTwin | 4/7/07 | Yes, I am also in the looked dumpy line, and I wore this to my sister's birthday party, and DD said I looked like the "Bag Lady"; although she knew under that dress I didn't. It was promptly filed 13! |
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| AnneM | 4/14/07 | Congrats on your perseverence. The finished dress looks great. I like the fuller sleeves; it works so well with the sheer fabric. |
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| Beve | 4/14/07 | I love this dress! It looks great on you, and what workmanship! Thanks for your review.. |
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