Butter and the Biscuit {Simplicity 1650}

Pattern: Simplicity 1650
Version: A - with straight skirt and sleeves
Sizing: 14 to 16 in hips
Fabric: polyester suiting; bemberg
Notions: invisible zipper; hem tape
Instructions: good
Modification: full lining; binding for the sleeve hem; reinforced invisible zipper; kick pleat construction
Recommend: yes

If my yellow dress is the butter, this dress has to be the biscuit---and I love biscuits!  The first time I made this pattern, I was doubtful that positive results would transpire.  The envelope illustrations for  Simplicity 1650 are not particularly attractive to me and the fabric I had on hand to experiment was not a color I am prone to wear.  So, when a dress I actually love came to be, it was a tremendous surprise.  The call for creating another dress in a subtle hue shortly rang, and that call said GRAY.

 

Nothing about this fabric is natural, but it is quiet nice.  It is light in both color and weight, much like the fabric used for the original version, but also has multiple gray gradients weaved together giving visual and textural variance.  Unfortunately, the weave is loose, fraying easily, and bumps and lumps can be seen on the front side of the dress particularly along the waist seam.

To elevate the seam allowance showing through the fabric, the fabric was laddered---trimmed one side to the middle of the other so the seam edges fell in different locations, never touching.  The seam was then encased between two strips of rayon seam binding.  This process made the excess fabric invisible from the opposite side.  Fortunately, the princess seams are not bound to the bodice pieces and float free between the garment fabric and lining.  The skirt darts are small enough to go unnoticed. 

To avoid ripples along the sleeve, many hours were unsuccessfully spent pinning, basting, and taking apart the seam.  Even with all the careful stitching, the fabric would always buckle, sometimes along the shoulder, sometimes along the sleeve head.  Wanting to improve my sewing skills, I recently bought new construction technique books and read ways to set a sleeve.  To my surprise, one book showed a method similar to the way a sleeve is constructed for suit jackets, which includes interfacing the cap, reinforcing the sleeve head, and grading seam allowances.  The results of these steps are the best sleeves I have ever completed.  The seam is perfectly flawless. There are no apparent ruffles and mobility is not compromised. 

Like my sleeveless version from this same pattern, each stray from the written directions added man hours to the dress constructions.  Adding a full lining also sank more time into this dress, but is without a doubt, time worth spent.  The fabric is transparent, the seams benefit from having some protection, and, let's face it, silky fabric against the skin is much nicer than being poked by polyester threads. 

 

 

This pattern skips the directions and pattern pieces for a lining.  Never mind that fact, because it is easy to construct a lining using the exact same pieces and instructions as the fashion fabric.  The next step would be to make two independent forms, and then make the dress by connecting outer fabric to the lining at the neckline.  For this dress, I opted to sew bias binding to the sleeve edge, fold it over, and hand stitching in place.  The hems for both the dress and lining are finished with hem tape.  With all the straight skirts I have made the last few months, I have been trying my hand at finishing the kick pleat.  I am still not fully satisfied with the results, but one thing done different for this dress was to finish and bind the pleat top with seam binding.  This allowed the seam to lay flat, reduced the layers of fabric, and reinforced the stitch line.  I hope to share additional wisdom one day when I have figured this maneuver out in a way that is reliable and uncomplicated.  Always something to learn, right?