The Separate and Turn Around Dress

Yes, that's all it took.  Some major reconstructive surgery and then everything was a-ok.  See?

~ on the dress, I'm talking about on the dress ~

I was working with the Bristol Dress from the Sewing Workshop Pattern and they always run really large.  So this time I went with one size smaller than I usually do.  uh-oh.  I ended up with a bodycon mini.  Really not my style.


I separated the top yoke from the rest of the dress and decided to add an insert across the front and back horizontally.  That lowered the whole dress to make it both longer and not so tight.  The front band is about 4 inches wide and the back is 6.  Which was cool cuz it make the back sort of swoop down in a twenties kind of way. 

~ me and my back swooping/ swanning pose ~

But first I turned the body of the skirt part around so the back was in the front and vice versa.  It's hard to explain why, but there were no side seams or front seam.  Just 2 diagonal seams running down the back over the butt which was very not flattering.  Turned around it looked cool to have those diagonals running down the front.

I know this is too much information.   But if you sew, it's interesting.  For everyone else...

~  here's an unnecessary pix to look at ~

Too loosen up the skin-tight sleeves, I happened to have 2 very long, narrow triangles of fabric sitting there and I inserted each of them in the underarm sleeve seams.  Then I only had to make a small patch for the back to fit in between the sleeve edge and the back dress edge because of that switcheroo from back to front.  And because of the intense fabric pattern you don't notice them. 

~ oh, and there's another one of my fabric scrap, stitched & beaded necklaces ~

And pockets!  Believe it or not, there were no pockets for this dress.  How ridiculous.  I meant to sew them in the diagonal seams I had turned into the front, but then I forgot and top-stitched over them.  So I used what had been the pieces cut out for the sleeve cuffs for some patch pockets and placed them as discreetly as I could.  The sleeves I just rolled up to show off the other side of the fused knit fabric which was jet black.  Same for the bias binding neckline.

 

~ Les sox and shoe shot ~

Have I had too much caffeine?  I'm on my way to Patti's party with the Visibles at Not Dead Yet Style.  Then off to Shoe and Tell at Cherie's Style Nudge.  And finally Catherine's I Will Wear What I Like when she goes live.  I don't think I can get away with Royal Purple for Anne's 52 pick-me-up this time.  le sigh.