2014 make 1 - its a winner (style 2622)

here's my first make for 2014 - i'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

the pattern is TNT OOP Style 2622.  i have made this dress too many times to count. i'm pretty sure i even used it for the dress i wore to my 21st birthday party, may see if i can dig out an old photo...

its a great straightforward a-line shift dress.  an uncut version is actually currently listed on ebay.  the fabric came from darn cheap fabrics in heidelberg vic from this trip.  it was $12.95m and i purchased 1m. its a soft cotton sateen with a bit of stretch.

for this version I decided to finish the neck, arms and hem with black bias binding.  i also finished the back centre seam allowances with bias binding and did french side and shoulder seams to keep the inside neat.

some shots inside and out:

i make this dress up in a size 10, even though my measurements fit between a 14-16 and the fit is generally ok.  some alterations i did this time include:

• lengthen hem by 1" so i can wear the dress to work
• took an additional scant 1/4"off the neck and arms - next time i probably wouldn't do the arms as well as the neck
• raised the bust dart slightly, by using the marking for size 8 - really should do a SBA
• slashed and overlapped the back neck line to reduce gapping - mostly fixed it but perhaps could go further next time

there are some wrinkles at the back but i am fine with them - unless someone can tell me an easy way to remove them!

key lesson learnt: i originally bound the neck, arms and hem with commercial black 12mm bias binding from a packet because i couldn't be bothered making my own or sourcing some better commercial stuff.  downfalls were: 1 it felt like cardboard, was crazy fiddly and a waste of time - i could have made my own binding in the time i ended up wasting to put it on; 2 the first time i washed the dress the binding came away in 2 spots; 3 the look i was hoping for for the neck, arms and hem wasn't achieved.  grrR times 3.

i bought some new wider bias binding at tessuti on the weekend at the shopping trip with kirsty, amy and maria. It went on quickly, easily and the wider binding stands out more now.

here's a pic from amy via maria, of the shopping trip - a first for me meeting other bloggers.  it was a super way to spend a saturday morning, fun times!

emma