It's a bit intimidating to make the first post here, so I should just jump in, I guess. I was waffling over whether this should be a place for design thoughts, or craft projects or organizational strategies or recipes or random rants or...? So perhaps it will be all of those. What I'm feeling a need for at the moment is a place to post and explain various non-work related making projects. Facebook sometimes feels a little too "Hey, look at me! Look what I made!" I'd like to put stuff online because I find that seeing other people's working process is useful when I am working on or contemplating working on something similar, so I imagine that my stuff might be helpful to someone else. I hope so, anyway.
So, first post, most recent project.
I have been really wanting to make this dress:
I have been really wanting to make this dress:
but it is in a pattern book that is only available in Japanese.
Then I saw this dress on Pinterest:
https://littlehomebyhand.wordpress.com/2011/07/31/sorbetto-dress/
https://littlehomebyhand.wordpress.com/2011/07/31/sorbetto-dress/
I had found this shirt at a thrift store, it's a men's XL, but I loved the fabric, so I thought, "Hmmmm,"
After partially deconstructing the shirt (removed the sleeves and collar, opened up the side seams and enough of the back yoke to release the pleats),
I was able to fit the sorbetto top pattern pieces onto it
and then I just extended it to make a tunic rather than a short top;
there wasn't enough fabric to make a longer dress.
I cut the back first, as the pattern came to the edge of the fabric, and then used that as a guide to cut the front so they would match up.
I used the back of the shirt for the front of the tunic as the back had more fabric in it and the sorbetto front needs extra for the pleat. I stitched the button placket together at the the base, but left it as a detail on the back as well as leaving the breast pocket,
it's almost invisible, but a fun nod to the origins of the piece.
I used most of one sleeve to make the sleeves
(pattern here: http://sew-incidentally.blogspot.ca/2011/08/sleeve-pattern-for-sorbetto-top.html) and most of the other sleeve to make inset side seam pockets. I wanted to make my own bias tape, but there just wasn't enough fabric, I would have had to forgo the pockets, so I used purchased tape.
I'd still like to make something closer to the original inspiration,
but I'm pretty happy with how this turned out!
