Patrones #282, Model #36 - Red Print Dress

Part Two, Carefully Cut Fabrics

I've finished fitting the dress muslin, which was easy to do since I knew what sizes to cut and where I'd need extra room. I ended up adding an extra 1" in the thighs, just in case I need the extra room. I can always remove the extra fabric later, but if the dress is too tight to start with, there is no helping it. I also removed another two inches at the waist in the front only at the darts. The waist fit everywhere but there - that's where it was very baggy.

This fabric is a bit sheer to be used by itself, so I'm going to underline with a nice silk/cotton batiste I found in my collection. I'm not sure where I got it, but it is really nice feeling, lightweight and perfect for underlining the dress. I am also going to line the dress and will show how that is done in a later post.

The last pieces to be cut out were the backs because they needed to be carefully matched at the back center zipper. Here is how I cut out the backs so that the motifs would line up perfectly:

The first thing is to figure out where in the repeat the center back will be. After looking at the design, I decided to have the center sort of in between two vines. The center back will be at the top of the ruler.

The pattern piece then goes on the fabric, lined up with where I'd like the center back to be. My pattern pieces do not have seam allowances, so the edge of the pattern piece is the center back. This is one reason I don't add seam allowances until I cut out the fabric.

Once the piece is cut out (with seam allowances, of course!), it is taken to the ironing board and the center back seam allowances are pressed to the wrong side. This prepares the pieces for the matching of the motifs.

The pattern piece is then removed, and the fabric piece is placed back on the uncut fabric to match up the motifs. You can see the pressed edge of the back in the photo below.

Once the motifs are lined up, the paper piece is flipped over and lined up right along the pressed edge of the already cut piece. Since there are no seam allowances on the pattern, the second side is now ready to cut with the motifs perfectly lined up. Remove the already cut piece and cut out the second seam, remembering to include the seam allowances.

Now that the whole dress is cut out including the lining and facings, I am working on thread tracing and basting the underlining and fashion fabric together. Maybe tomorrow I'll get some more work done on this in between sewing up some little projects for the family. I'll show you those later!

Parting Shot: Mmm, Oatmeal. For some reason Kiwi was attracted to the empty oatmeal bowl. Might have had something to do with the butter and honey I put on the oatmeal.