Sparkle Plenty:
a sparkly sweater dress
I honestly don't know what I was thinking when I bought this fabric. Leopard print AND sequins??? As I told a friend, I hope I don't look like a wet seal when the light hits those clear sequins. (grin)
I guess I thought the sparkly sequins would give a little zip to a dull winter neutral wardrobe. I've been wanting to make this very-cleverly-designed Donna Karan pattern for a long time, though, and the fabric seemed to work with it.
Here is the back view:
With the belt undone:
Pattern: Donna Karan Vogue 1634 (Out of Print). This pattern is copyrighted 1995. Yikes. Whodathunk I would have had it for that long?
Fabrics:
- Sequined sweater knit from JoAnn Fabrics, purchased in 2012. It was time to get it out of my stash.
- Chocolate brown ultrasuede
This was an easy dress to make; it's essentially an oversize t-shirt. That said, it's an ingenious pattern, simple yet shapely. That doesn't often happen in one pattern. No wonder I hung on to it for so long!
I seamed the dress with a 4-thread serger stitch, using a 3-thread serger stitch to finish the hem edge, neckline and cuff seam allowances.
I secured the narrow hem with Steam-a-Seam Lite before handstitching it into place. The neckline and cuff edges are secured with hand stitching as well. I didn't want to use my coverhem machine on the sequins because the stitches would likely be uneven, so I resisted the temptation to use it for the hems.
Modifications:
1. Widened the sleeves by 1/2 inch .
2. Used chocolate brown Ultrasuede for the ties instead of the main fabric as recommended.
3. Left off the cuffs; elongated the sleeve accordingly.
I made this dress in a weekend; the fitting phase took longer than the sewing phase. It's actually pretty cute with chocolate brown tights and brown suede boots.
15 comments:
As my kids will attest I'm an absolute sucker for leopard print. Love this dress design. You should post a picture of yourself wearing it.
Wow, what a hot dress! Keeping that pattern waiting only made it cuter!
I love it too - and now feel compelled to go hunting for that out of print pattern. Would love to see a photo of you wearing it.
Very cute! You make such nice dresses!
Lynda in
LV
so lovely! this is a really interesting design, and it looks great with the black tie!
It's lovely, Katherine. Great pattern!
It is pretty awesome! I'm sure you look amazing in it!!!
The dress is a hit all on its own. Tights and boots must make it sensational!
Love it and the fabric!!
Wow. So want that pattern. Donna Karen just rocks in any decade doesnt she?
The style is still so current. I am sure it looks very cute with tights and boots.
good example to demonstrate why you shouldn't throw old patterns out - great dress
Great dress. Love the fabric. As always, your work is inspiring and perfect.
Hello: I just found your instructions for padding a dress form over on PR. I see that you sent those instructions several years ago and they are very helpful. I came here to see pictures of your form, but I see only pictures of a higher priced form (PGM?). If you are using a PGM form would you please write to me over a PR, or reply here. I am living in a rural area and need help making a decision about whether I should invest in a MDD or a PGM. Would love to have your insights. The local shop told me to go look it upon the internet!!
Thank you for your time it is much appreciated.
A
Personally, I like the Fabulous Fit dressform the best because it's pinnable. I have also padded out the collapsible shoulder dressform that I've been showing in the past few projects. It mimics my shape perfectly as well, but is not pinnable. Now I use both forms interchangeably.
For those who are curious about this, I have written instructions on how to pad out any dressform to mimic your shape perfectly. The older ones are available on Patternreview, and an updated set of instructions is available on Stitcher's Guild at http://artisanssquare.com/sg/index.php/topic,140.msg136315.html#msg136315
Kathryn
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