To kick start this blog I thought I'd post one of my favourite makes from last year.
New Look 6162 view A, a fitted sheath dress. The only design features are the pleats at the neckline which you can't make out in this photo due to the weight of the fabric. I chose this simple pattern to show off the gorgeous colours of the weave, and once I perfected the fit I made a couple of versions. For this version I used a tweed from Stone Fabrics. As the weave was loose, as soon as it arrived I over locked the edges and sent it to the cleaners for pre-shrinking. At the time it was the most expensive fabric I'd purchased, so I took my time and practised some couture techniques I'd learnt from a Craftsy course. Most of the c
onstruction was done by hand including attaching the silk organza underlining, tacking down the seam allowances, inserting a hand-picked zip, the lining and hem. The only things I used the machine for were the side and back seams, and finishing the kick pleat with bias tape. For such an easy pattern this dress was a
lot of work, but I love the end result and despite it being short sleeved it's really warm to wear because of the wool and the silk content.
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| New Look 6162 Front view |
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| New Look 6162 Back view |
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| New Look 6162 Lining |
By contrast, this next version was sewn up entirely by machine very quickly. The outer fabric is an inexpensive polyester from Fabric Land and it's lined using a lightweight brushed cotton. I almost always line garments so they look as nice on the inside as they do outside.
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| New Look 6162 Front view |
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| New Look 6162 Neckline |
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| New Look 6162 Back view |
Next up will be some of my favourite summer makes.
