Monday, January 26, 2009

My atomic print aspirations.

Next up in my rotation is this lovely full skirted shirt dress of sorts, made out of this fun and happy red, white, and blue cloth. I love the fabric. It is an old duvet cover I picked up at the thrift store for $5, so I am using it for the muslin, in secret hopes that it can double as a real dress upon completion. I think the print might count as a "1950's atomic print" although I have to confess that I honestly do not know what that means. From what I can tell, "atomic print" means a semi-busy, smallish, colorful, geometrically inspired print that must in some way look futuristic to a 1950's mindset. I think the futuristic part is important...that's the best I can come up with, as I imagine the 1950's seamstress to believe anything seeming nuclear related was futuristic.

I really lucked out on this pattern, it is a size 46, bust 48 inches, and exactly my size in its original form. Plus, it is vintage, has a circle skirt, and doesn't involve set in sleeves or a sewn-on collar. I am in heaven! All of my 1950's day dress fantasies may come true with this garment. I am excited for the skirt. As you can see from the photo it is constructed with panels at the hips and a center panel that angles in down the center. I hope it is simultaneously slimming AND gives the illusion that I have fuller hips and an hour glass shape.

Starting this dress comes with the price of abandoning an older project. After careful though and quite a bit of time in front of a mirror, I am going to abandon my early 1960's dress with the pleated gathers from earlier this fall. It was my first full bust adjustment, and I did work incredibly hard to achieve the soft gathers at the shoulders and bust, but the more I try on the muslin, the more I feel like I am dressing as a Mormon fundamentalist's polygamous wife, and that is NEVER the look I am going for. So, for now the project is scrapped. It is a shame to waste so many hours on a project that will not reach fruition, but it is an even bigger shame to waste $70 and five yards of beautiful fabric. I hope to recycle the fabric originally purchased for this dress into the atomic print's pattern. I think it will be a good summertime dress.

As you can see below I already conducted a full bust adjustment on the bodice front, and after adding a few inches to the skirt I think I will be in business and ready to sew. All I need is to get my hands on a cutting table and a rolling blade, and consider this dress as good as finished. I think I will use french seem binding, even though this is only a muslin. I feel that good about the pattern.

I should not get too excited, as I have become superstitious that the level of my excitement somehow correlates to the difficulty of the dress. The more excited I am, the less likely the garment will work out on my body or with my skills. However, this just has lots of promise. Think positive thoughts for me.


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am definitely thinking positive thoughts for you. Could you show us what you've done on the Mormon fundamentalist's polygamist wife's dress? Maybe some viewers will have ideas about how to sass it up into something that will be a wow.

cza said...

Love your blog. Just wondering whatever happened with your sewing machine. Did you get it fixed or find a new one?

Kate said...

Thanks for the comments! I haven't made any progress on the Butterick 9765 (aka the Mormon Fundamentalist's Wife dress)since I last posted. I did attach sleeves since the photos. I have tried it on in front of the full length mirror at home on multiple occasions, but never felt comfortable or great wearing it. I don't want to cut a nice fabric for another garment, I hate to waste it.

The first post on the dress is here

http://sincerelyyours-kate.blogspot.com/2008/10/butterick-9765-progression-of-fit.html,

followed by a full bust adjustment post

http://sincerelyyours-kate.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-first-full-bust-adjustment.html,

and finally the full fledged fundamentalist-inspired muslin here

http://sincerelyyours-kate.blogspot.com/2008/11/butterick-9765-progression-of-fit-ii.html

It might be a lost cause...?

Chantelle said...

I love the pattern and the fabric you're using for the muslin! I think that the dress will be very flattering because the skirt has those gorgeous slimming lines.

Good luck!
Chantelle

Miss Amelina said...

I am just stalking you with comments today....Did you ever make any headway on the McCardell pattern? And don't feel bad about not finishing a project....I always have a few going at once. :)