Copy Cat

Recently, I was asked to make a copy of a dress for someone. It is pictured below. I think it is a cute little dress and the plunged back neckline is lovely. Usually, copying a dress is not something I do but I gladly agreed to make a copy (in different fabric) of this dress because I liked it so much.

These photos are the only images I had for of the dress. It would have been be so much easier to make a copy if I had the dress in hand, but I had to make do with just these photos. Looking at the photos, it seemed like there were darts in the front neckline, had small cap sleeves, mini length square skirts gathered at the waist and it closed with buttons in back. Whenever I make my own patterns, I sketch (terribly, but sketching helps organize my ideas) the garment with some notes and ideas on the side. I did the same in this case, and decided to make a muslin. I hoped to be able to wear the muslin, so I used this cute butterfly satin I recently bought in Nippori.
After making the muslin, it became clear that there were some adjustments needed to be made. For instance, the neckline needed to be lowered to imitate the original dress, shoulder line needed to be narrowed so that the sleeve seam line would fall on the shoulder bones. I thought the darts starting from the neckline to right above the bust line was an interesting feature. I don’t think I’ve used any patterns in the past that have this kind of darting in the bodice. Has anyone? I think it works well for small chested pieces, but I wonder if it works well for busty girls. I don’t know how I would adjust the bodice pattern piece for say, a D-cup.

I went ahead and added the trim all around the neckline. It was not until I connected the two back pieces together that I realized I had made a crucial mistake…look.

I forgot that the trim overlapped in the back. At this point, I didn’t know how to fix this mistake without starting the whole thing over again, I didn’t have enough seam allowances to fix this.

This is why it’s always a good idea to make a muslin before trying out a new pattern, especially if it’s the one drafted on your own! :p

Here is the finished result. It’s fully lined. I love the result. I might use this pattern again to make a dress for my upcoming Guam trip. Andy I are headed to the island for our  five year anniversary…I’m trying to make some VV outfits in preparation for the trip.