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.


50 comments:

  1. I love it! I didn't even notice the plaid issues until you pointed them out. And they're not even that bad. I just made a dress and didn't notice it had a low v-back until I stitched the bodice - how does that slip by?? At any rate, this dress is so festive and full of holiday joy. It's great!

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  2. This is so cute!!! Honestly, I was way too distracted by that adorable bow to notice the plaid issues. Love it!!

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  3. Beautiful! I too love me some holiday traditions and I think this is a perfect choice for a Xmas dress. Didn't Jen at grainline just post that she doesn't pay attention to where the vertical stripes are, only horizontal? If that works for her it works for me. Maybe you too?! Sometimes too much symmetry is too too and I think not having a vertical stripe down the exact middle of the bodice keeps it interesting. For real, not just saying :) also, when you showed the back view I didn't even notice the skirt bc I was looking at how perfect the bodice matched at back :) So if your fellow seamsters are only half noticing, then def no one else will be, right?! ;) Lovely make!

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  4. Don't beat yourself up about plaid matching - life is too short! It's much bettern than most bought things would be :). And I like the off-centre front. It's more important that your back bodice matches than the skirt because of the gethers - but most important, it fits you sooooo well.

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  5. The dress is lovely and it fits very well on you. Honestly since you matched the plaid on the shirt part on the back, I did not notice that you hadn't on the back of the skirt.....so don't worry it looks fabulous! :)

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  6. So lovely!! What a nice dress :)

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  7. This is SO lovely! I was looking for a red plaid for a Christmas dress the last time I went fabric shopping, but didn't see anything the right weight. This looks perfect! I love it on you! No one will notice the plaid matching but you, and since it's in the back, I bet you'll forget about it. I hope you love wearing it-- you look cute as a button!

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  8. I'm actually sewing a plaid Emery now as well! Must be something in the air ;) Love yours, I think I have to do the bow too. Looks super cute on you!

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  9. A perfect Christmas dress - the red, the plaid, the bow. Great job! *^v^*

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  10. Love it! Thanks for all of the links. .. and would love to see a tutorial On the bias tape trick.

    -dani e

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  11. This is so adorable! I like the shorter length too!

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  12. Love this dress! I really want to make a tartan dress or skirt :-)

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  13. this dress is adorable! i love the traditional christmas plaid look, cheesy or not! i didn't notice the plaid placement until you said something. take a look at some RTW and you'll feel loads better about your dress. great job!

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  14. Fantastic! I never would have thought to do this dress in plaid - it's perfect! And I've seen RTW dresses with far worse plaid matching - I think it looks quirky and I love it!

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  15. Gorgeous! Yes please to the mini tute.

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  16. What a great dress, and the fabric looks awesome. I'd LOVE to see a tutorial on how you did that bias binding tape thing on the waist. I think it looks really tidy but I'd have no idea on how to do it.

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  17. It's so festive and fun Anna and I really don't think the un-matched plaid takes anything away from it!

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  18. Love it! I really like the bow at the waist of this pattern. And absolutely nothing wrong with a nice festive plaid Christmas dress!

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  19. You did a fine job with the plaid. Matching patterns is SO DAMN HARD and there isn't a comprehensive enough tutorial out there to help absolute beginners. The one which made most sense to me was from Pattern Scissors Cloth - http://buzzybeesworld.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/cutting-checks-and-plaids-part-1.html

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  20. Wow I love love love this! And I wouldn't worry about the pattern matching, you don't notice it at all. I love the sleeve length x

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  21. Wow! Absolutely gorgeous :-)

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  22. It's a perfect Christmas dress! Super duper adorable. I love the little bow.

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  23. Beautiful dress! Please do post a tutorial for your finishing technique at the waist!

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  24. You know how much I love this dress and everyone botches plaid matching from time to time! It doesn't take away from the dress at all and you look fabulous in it! Thank you so much for making the Emery!

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  25. I LOVE it! So cute and christmassy! I really like the plaid pattern on the bodice - it would be boring if it were centered, really! Oh and I really love your hair style, too. This used to be one of my favourites, but these times are now over for a good while...

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  26. It's absolutely gorgeous Anna. The Emery pattern is next on my sewing list and your version is so inspiring. x

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  27. a tutorial on the bias tape on the skirt/bodice would be awesome, sounds like a really great way to neaten up and hide edges,


    i think the front you barely notice, and i have difficulty picking out whats wrong with the plaid there, the back is more obvious, but its something i only really noticed once you pointed it out, its a wonderful dress for the holidays, thanks for sharing!

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  28. This is so cute! I didn't notice anything amiss about the plaid until you pointed it out - don't mention it and noone will ever know. :)

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  29. Love this dress! It's perfect for Christmas! I am too scared to even attempt to match up plaids!

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  30. Super cute and love the bow detail. As for the plaid matching, won't you be sitting down enjoying Christmas lunch? No-one will notice!!

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  31. Beautiful dress!! If I didn't know I will never have the time to sew it I would buy the kit.

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  32. Lovely christmas dress, Anna. Don't worry about the plaid not matching. No one will notice!

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  33. Gorgeous dress! I just finished making an Emery dress too, it's a great pattern isn't it? I love your tartan version, perfect for Christmas!

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  34. Soooo cute! I'd love to see your gathering-bias tape-stay method, btw. And, I think we're the only ones who notice things like pattern matching. It drives me crazy, too, but I think the non-sewing public never thinks about it :)

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  35. What a lovely dress, so festive. Please do a tutorial for the waist stay, that would be so helpful!

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  36. Lovely… so Christmassy… and you're right - only a trained eye would see the plaid mismatch.

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  37. Your dress is super cute and it suits you perfectly! Actually, I didn't notice at all that the front is not centered - nobody will as long as you don't tell them ;) and I would be super happy about a mini tutorial about sewing the faux waist stay! I am really tempted to get the fabric and make the dress for myself :) Great inspiration!

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  38. Lovely dress! Totally makes me want to try out the Emery pattern! And that pattern matching is nothing to worry about, the back looks great regardless :)

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  39. Don't you just love this pattern!? If it makes you feel better I never even noticed the mismatched plaid until you pointed it out. Love the dress!

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  40. Beautiful Combination of dress. The beautiful collection reflects the creativeness of the designer and choice of the the girl how sensible she is.. Back looks are great and the patterns shown are ok to my side. I think person who would be wearing this cloth in future would really enjoy. If one can combine the dress with christmas jumpers then it would be really interesting.

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  41. I bought the Emery pattern and discover your version today! I'm so happy I did buy it! Red plaid is so pretty and Christmasy, love it!

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  42. J'adore, elle est magnifique et te va tellement bien. Ce patron me fait envie.

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  43. The dress is gorgeous!! And yes please to the tutorial. Shame about the tartan not matching at the back, I know how frustrating it can be but you're only a trained eye can see those things. I love the red, such a pretty shade!

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  44. I think the dress is perfect on you also. The plaid is so good for Christmas. A tutorial would be great for that technique if you have time.

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  45. Such a gorgeous creation. You really cannot beat a tartan dress, it is a wardrobe staple I think - ironic because at present it is clearly a staple that my wardrobe is missing! I am inspired to put this wrong to rights!!!

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  46. I love it :) Perfectly Christmas-y and a very flattering style for you!

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  47. I used the same fabric for my skirt and I really love it. Matching the plaids is the worst part of tartan!! I think it's an adorable dress and I love it!

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  48. I love the traditional Christmas plaid and the bow at the waist.

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