Food and Fitness

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Simplicity 2497


Can I just say, I love this dress; not only do I love it because it looks good, feels good and was easy to sew. I love it most because I feel good in it. This was the first Christmas in a long time that I felt that what I had on really represented what was in my spirit. I usually end up putting on whatever I can find that fits and that looks festive. I realized that the last time I felt this good about my Christmas fit, I made that one too. My plan for 2010 is to make at least 90% of my clothes and only have things in my closet that I absolutely love. I don't believe that clothes alone make the woman but I do believe that when you feel good and feel that you look good, you walk a little taller and exude that much more confidence.

Pattern Description: Cynthia Rowley - sewing patterns dresses. Misses' dress in three lengths with neckline variations.

Pattern Sizing: (12-14-16-18-20)

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? YES, YES, YES!!!!



Were the instructions easy to follow? The instructions were pretty well written EXCEPT for the knarly zipper insertion/left pocket instructions. I still don't know exactly what they wanted me to do I just made it work. When fitting the dress, it is most important to make sure that the band at the waist fits the bodice and the skirt are very forgiving since both are gathered at the waist.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I love the lovely ruffle and the simple lines of the dress. I also liked the novelty of the invisble side zipper instead of a back zipper. This really is a quick dress to put together and in fact, my muslin went together in just a few hours. My only dislike was the confusion caused by the zipper insertion instructions.



Fabric Used: Deluxe Stretch Cotton Sateen Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: Because I had to make room for my extremely ample bust, I added two inches to the length of the bodice and did a two inch FBA.


Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would recommend this dress. I know I should say no because the style is so distinct, but I definitely plan to make this dress again and already have the fabric picked out for Spring.

Conclusion: This is a great dress. I loved my fabric choice which was great because of the stiffness of the fabric to make the ruffle stand up and the stretch was good because it allows the dress slightly more fittted which I will take into account the next time I make it.

Just because I like them so much, one more shot of my fabulous shoes!



Thursday, December 17, 2009

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, or . . . Simplicity 2497

I'll start by saying I hardly ever make a muslin which is why in the past I've ended up with wadders and had to go with less-than fabulous back up options. However, for something as important as my Christmas dress with no time for do overs, I decided I would make all my alterations to the pattern pieces and make a muslin. I also thought it'd be a good idea to see if this style would translate well on my body. Well wouldn't you know the muslin came out perfect. For a minute I chided myself about wasting precious sewing time making a dress I couldn't wear but the truth is, with my luck, if I hadn't made a muslin the dress wouldn't have fit. I've got the dress all cut out and if the sewing gods are good to me, I will have the dress substantially completed by Tuesday of next week since I will be home alone for the next two weeks during the day with my 3 and 5 year olds baking cakes and cookies, going to see Disney's Princess and the Frog, Chuck E. Cheeses and story time at the library, stealing moments to sew along the way. I love, love, love this dress, pockets and all. I love that the dress is chic but not body hugging, lets face it, I've body parts that just should not be hugged.


I'm using this rich blue toned red stretch sateen that I got months ago from fabric.com. So far, this seems like a really good fabric choice for the dress because of the slight sheen, stretch, yet stiffness of the material so that the ruffle will actually stand up like on the pattern envelope.


I had convinced myself that after the recent additions to my fabric stash and boot collection that I really didn't need any shoes but when I found what I hope (I'll know for sure when they are delivered on Monday) to be the perfect shoes for the dress on sale and an additional 30% off, I had to have them.



I'll post pics and a full review after Christmas but I'm so excited about the dress (who am I kidding, and the shoes) I just wanted to share.