Saturday, December 14, 2013

Minerva Blogger Network : My Christmas Emery dress


***Traduzione italiana in fondo al post***

Pattern: Emery dress by Christine Haynes (purchased here).
Size: size 6.
Alterations: did a 1,5cm FBA following this brilliant tutorial; shortened the skirt by about 5cm.

For my December project of the Minerva Blogger Network, I knew I wanted to make the ultimate Christmas dress: red, feminine, possibly with a bow. What can I say, I’m a girl who likes to embrace traditions, especially during the Holidays!

When I put my kit together, I didn’t have a precise idea of the dress I was going to make, but then Christine Haynes released the Emery dress pattern and it was love at first sight.
This pattern was an absolute pleasure to work with. I used size 6 with a 1,5cm (5/8”) FBA and it fits me like a glove.
The instructions are well written and illustrated, and if that's not enough, Christine just had an extensive sew along covering all the steps to make this beautiful dress. 

The tartan fabric was a pleasant surprise as well: although it’s mostly polyester, it was a pleasure to cut, sew, press, and wear as well! It feels very warm and I would absolutely recommend it for both dresses or to make a very cute skirt.
It is a rather bulky fabric, though, so to reduce the bulk of the gathered skirt at the waist seam, I stitched some bias tape on both seam allowances, then I trimmed the skirt seam allowance, and finally I stitched the bias tape to the bodice. This creates a faux waist stay that conceals the seam allowance and reduces the bulk all at once. I've already done this for my Anna dress and I love this little technique. Maybe next time I should take photos and do a mini tutorial?

The only regret I have with this project is that did a terrible job at matching the plaid. Before cutting the fabric I read Lauren’s tutorial and I was like “Yeah, I can do it!”, but I managed to make so many mistakes anyways! The worst being I didn’t center the front bodice correctly… That makes me so mad at myself, how could I not see this? And the skirt back doesn't match either... UGH! I wanted to cry when I stitched the center back seam!
At least I learnt for next time, and a few people told me the print of the dress is busy enough that you don’t notice it too much. I guess it's one of those things that you only see if you have the "trained eye" of a seamstress.

In conclusion, I’m completely in love with dress! I think it’s just perfect for Christmas. Some might find it cheesy, but I like to be dressed with a theme!
If you want to make it for yourself, you can purchase the kit here.