So I made this dress (see&sew B5632):
I made view A (the shorter length), in a really cute black and white flower print I found for a steal (12 NIS per meter = 3 USD).
What I like about this dress
- The bodice is cute. I like it. It covers my bra well, and I like the pleats.
- The instructions are excellent. Not only were they really easy to follow, I also learned a new technique or two.
- The pockets! Oh, I love these cute pockets! They make the dress so much more fun!!
- The sizes are off. I used only bust measurements because waist and hip measurements don't really play a part in this dress. According to my bust I am a size 12. I ended up going down to a size 10, and then taking off an additional 4-10 cm (which is a lot!). Obviously this required some time consuming seam ripping and some minor compromises with the pattern pieces. Why do they keep making patterns way too large??
- It's too short. It's OK standing up, but while sitting down the back slides up way too high. The front of the dress gives plenty of coverage while seated, but in retrospect I think I would have made it longer.
- It reminds me of a little girl's dress. I knew it even before I started making it, but the shape of this dress is not very grown-up. Gotta think before wearing it places.
- Gathered skirt. Believe it or not this is the first time I made a gathered skirt. It's not as difficult as I thought.
- Patch pocket tricks. The instructions show an excellent way to make patch pockets - you fold in the seam allowances in a really neat way.
2 comments:
okay, so i measured myself and according to the pattern sizes, im a 16...im usually an 8, maybe a 10, so is it the sizing of the pattern? i was confused that it said i was a 16. would you suggest going down a couple sizes? it is my first dress, so im a bit confused anyway, but i'd like it to look sort of good. also, why does the pattern require that you cut out a total of four front bodice pieces? and do you think i'll be okay without a lining? it didnt call for one so i didnt even consider it, esp. for my first dress..thank you soooo much! i'd really appreciate it if you could answer!!! and btw, im not brian, thats just a username
Hi,
Have you read the follow-up post about this dress (http://www.sewlavie.com/2011/06/see-b5632-finished-with-photos.html)? How did you determine your size? For this dress, disregard your hip measurement because there's plenty of room in the gathered skirt. Take your bust and waist measurements. If you are larger than a B cup, since this is your first dress I would recommend using a simpler pattern with larger cup sizes included. I can recommend better patterns for a beginner, but if you still want to make this one, I urge you to make a muslin for the bodice only, and check the fit. You do need a lining to strengthen the bodice; no lining for the skirt. I would recommend a dress that does not call for a lining for a beginner. I would gladly help further, preferably by email since I don't know if you can even see that I've replied. Best! Keren
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