Friday, February 18, 2011

Taking a Swing at it!

 This week has been very busy with all the details of this swing dress. I am very excited to be able to fit and sew along with Casey by my side, so to speak. Well, I was undecided on the fabric for awhile! I couldn't decide if I wanted a print or a solid. So, I have decided to make two of these dresses. Why not. Here's the first one, in red. I loved the red dress Casey made and I haven't had a solid red, everyday, dress for many years. It was about time.


This fabric is a linen look alike.





Ice storm took out one of our branches, the tree is over a 100 years old!

I need a new camera, for now these are the best pictures I can get from my bad camera! 


 I really worked on the fit for this one, and I mean worked sister, like a horse! I am pretty happy with it. As with all patterns, changes needed to be made. The beauty of sewing is you can also get creative and think outside the pattern box. So, I decided to make some little changes, they were to take the belt up a bit more and to top-stitched the skirt to add some detail. Overall, I got my education on fitting with this one. One mistake I made with this dress, was to cut off the extra seam allowance on the bodice, by the way a definite no no, before putting in the zipper and adding the sleeves. Doing this, I left no room for error, which could have left things too tight. It did turn out fine in the end. This dress is comfortable except for the sleeves, I am having some trouble raising my arms above my head, it's not bad just an observation, glad I am not in school where I would need to raise my hand. Not sure how to fix that, chime in if you have any suggestions. I am still sorting out the clues on this one, but think the armholes maybe a little low. Regardless, I would recommend this dress if you follow the directions from Casey's web site which include fitting directions. Happy sewing!

Have a wonderful vintage day!



Gina

23 comments:

  1. It turned out lovely - you must be so pleased with the results! The extra time you took with the fitting really paid off. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The fit is fantastic. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  3. It looks lovely, as for the sleeves I can't suggest how to fix them but maybe take them off and have it has a sleeveless dress

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm not seeing the problem with the sleeves, Gina..but the dresss is great and I am lovin the RED!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You look so pretty...the color of the dress is just lovely.

    Very, very flattering :-) You did a great job!

    Maria.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Such a pretty color and the fit is great.
    This is a dress you'll enjoy a long time!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Vintage Girl,

    This is sure one classy little dress! I think your camera did a good job with the pictures. My favorite photo is where you are showing the dress from the back.

    I can't sew a skirt, let alone a classy dress like this! You need to be patient with this sister! :)

    -Lady Rose

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is gorgeous! Red really suits you, you look beautiful - you should make more things this colour. It's nice to see that the Swing dress can look both casual (well, not casual, maybe smart-casual) and dressy too, depending on fabric and how you accessorise it. I'm planning to make one in a peacock feather-print lawn, but I'll start when the weather turns as it's miserable here in London at the moment!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a great color on you! The fit looks fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I think the camera did a good job at catching you in your best. The red colour suits you.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love this dress! It suits you really well.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I literally jumped up and down when I saw your finished dress!!!! BRAVO, Gina--it is so stunning. All your hard work on the fitting really paid off too; it fits like a glove. So excited for your finished project! YAY! (I wish I could post a picture of my face right now--I'm grinning!)

    ♥ Casey

    ReplyDelete
  13. Beautiful! You look very pretty in it!

    ReplyDelete
  14. My favorite color is red so I'm in love with your newly finished dress! About your set-in sleeve question: set-in sleeves on close fitting garments don't always allow you to move with ease (like sport-wear would), so this just may be caused by the style of garment. I don't own the pattern so I'm not sure if it is the case with the Swing Dress, but I have noticed it with other close-fitting garments I've sewn.

    Solution? I did just read in Threads magazine about sleeve gussets. Perhaps you can try that method!

    Rebekah
    http://www.artandneedlework.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. What a beautiful job!! it looks amazing on you too :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Lovely Gina, I can only hope mine turns out half as good ;o) Can't believe you're making two, I'm inspired!!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. That is beautiful! You did a great job and the color is fantastic on you. YAY!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I think it's just lovely, and the color is indeed fantastic on you! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I feel so very encouraged by all your kind and thoughtful comments.Thanks you for stopping by and being so great! Looking forward to seeing all you will be making in the future!

    ReplyDelete
  20. So cute! This dress is incredibly flattering; after seeing your I want to make one. You look great!

    ReplyDelete
  21. (Better late than never, I hope!) Just found your wonderful blog again (I don't know why it had fallen off my blog reel). I LOVE this so much - you've got the fit perfectly and the red is wonderful on you. I hope it warms up soon so you can wear it every day. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I would love to come all over that cocksucker's dress

    ReplyDelete