Oonapalooza Dress: Better Late than Never!

Since Oona's not a stickler for rules or deadlines, here is my Oonapalooza dress - better late than never!

It's a dress length version of V8977, a Very Easy Vogue blouse pattern. This is one of those patterns that I initially dismissed as being rather mumsy, until I saw Erica B's dress length version. What is it they say about imitation?

The really fantastic detail of this dress is the peek-a-boo back.

This is a very different style for me as it's loose and flowy, but I've been going through a phase of experimenting with volume. There are a series of pleats at the center front neckline and side bust darts which softly shape the top. I think for my figure this soft shaping works better than unshaped, over-sized or boxy looks. Not that I think you'll see a major shift in my style, but - holy moly! - it's so easy to fit these loose and drapey garments compared to my normal fitted attire. No wonder it takes me forever to sew anything with all the fitting I do! This could have been done in a day.

I cut a straight size S (8-10) for this pattern since I normally start with a Vogue 10. Aside from lengthening this blouse into a dress (I lengthened at the 2 lengthen/shorten lines as well as the hem), the other changes I made were to omit the faux button band with buttons since I didn't think sitting on buttons would be comfy, and to shape the front hem. The back hem is curved, like a shirttail, but the front hem is drafted straight. I decided to mirror the curve of the back hem on the front. I like the effect, both with and without a belt.

The fabric I used was a gift from the Sewing Cave. It's some kind of woven poly that is heavy enough to not need lining. I usually lean toward natural fibers, but this fabric feels great on, was pretty easy to work with and is virtually wrinkle-proof. These photos were taken after a full day at work including round trip commute and lunchtime walk in the NYC summer heat, and it still looks like I just put it on.

The longer I sew, the more I find that marrying fabric to pattern and choosing the right set of techniques to work with a fabric's natural properties, rather than fighting them, really is the key to success. Since this fabric was ravel-prone, I finished all the seams as well as the hem allowance with my serger. One small challenge I had was that it's wrinkle resistance also means that it will not hold a crease and that imperfections won't "steam out." So, I used teeny tiny stitches (1.0 length) on the darts as I neared the point and really tried to sew right on the edge in order to minimize any bubbling at the tip.

The only moments of frustration that I experienced were when it came to the neck and arm hole facings. I know that half of you just rolled your eyes and said "well, duh!" at the mention of facings. I made the dress on a whim, and so wasn't really thinking too much about how I wanted to finish things. Since it's not lined, I just went with the pattern instructions and cut facings. It worked well enough for the neck/back with careful understitching and tacking.

The neckline behaves rather well! 

The arms were another story altogether. I ended up carefully removing the finished, understitched, pressed and tacked facings when they simply refused to behave - flipping out rather than staying to the inside. Instead, I finishing the armholes with a bit of twill tape from my stash with much better results, even though it means there is stitching visible on the outside of the garment. I think it looks fine.

Tape finished armhole and an inside view of the neckline facing. 

The end results: I really dig this dress even though it is so outside of my norm. I particularly like it unbelted, which is a shock. A big thanks to Carolyn, who gifted the fabric and issued the challenge that I think outside my comfort zone. Also, thanks to Oona, whose colorific love of prints inspired the Oonapalloza sew along. Maybe some day I will be brave enough to mix my prints. For now, just sewing something that isn't solid seems like a baby step forward for me.

Camera Update: So, a few people have asked about progress with my new camera. Honestly, a new camera has not done anything to encourage Phin's, um,  photography enthusiasm levels or improve my modeling ability. There is a growing collection of blurry pictures that would have been great had they been in focus, along with a depressing number of pictures taken while I am trying get a pebble out of my shoe or straighten a necklace, or am in the middle of saying something and making a crazy face. In the interest of both my blog and letting Phin off the hook, I think I will start experimenting with my borrowed tripod and timer. Sigh.

Pebble in my shoe!