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Sewing is therapy for me. I hoard fabric, patterns, notions, and spend more time shopping for fabric than I care to admit...

Sunday, September 10, 2017

I think I made a grandmother of the bride/groom dress....

I really had some high hopes for this dress pattern.  It has received rave reviews from SPR and so I thought I'd give it a shot.  This is the Barcelona dress by Loes Hines.  It was available through Textile Studios.

Image result for images of textile studio barcelona dress

The shape is very simple, almost so simple it becomes just about sack-like.  But, I thought I'd try it anyway as sometimes simple shapes are best to highlight a pretty fabric.


I really loved this fabric from JoAnns.  It is 100% poly and as light and flowy as a breeze.


It washed and dried beautifully.  When you are close-up, it has some places that have a metallic sheen.  This is almost impossible to capture in a photo.


Even though I tissue-fit this, it is still difficult to get a flattering fit all around.  That swayback...


I made an FBA, sloping shoulder, and swayback adjustment.  I am still not happy with the fit. 


The skirt is rather full and fun.


This photo captures how I feel about it.  Meh.  I won't wear it.  I feel like I look like an 80-plus old woman, ready for a wedding or a funeral.  I will however recycle this fabric into something else.  

Thanks for reading...
Two wadders in a row...
Do you ever feel like throwing in the towel?
Sue :)

11 comments:

  1. Luckily the shape allows you to easily reclaim the fabric. I hate wadders. Wahhhh.

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  2. I just saw this on PR and commented. I've also had a few wadders lately. Oh well, that's what happens when you are willing to try new things. They don't always work out.If we stuck to our TNTs we would miss out on a bunch of wonderful patterns out there. Hopefully you can do something fun with the fabric. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. I enjoy your blog, Sue. Try cutting the sleeves off. Long skirt and long sleeves drag the dress into grandmother territory.

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  4. Sorry about your dress. I hope You can save the fabric. It might be the length of the dress that is not working for you . Too many failures in a row have me questioning my sewing abilities but doesn't usually last long and I follow up with something easy I have made before but I think it is great to experiment.

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  5. I agree with Janine and Jean. The sleeves and hem seems too long and the neckline is too high. It overwhelms you. It's a pretty fabric though.

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  6. I'm chuckling...yes, recycle it!

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  7. Yes, recycle it. No grandma of the bride/groom allowed, at this point in your life. I have not made a dress yet for any of my daughters' weddings and just bought the last one. It is so much pressure and then what if I wait to the last minute and don't like it! LOL. Plus I have 4 girls and they all have opinions on what I should wear, they haven't let me down yet.

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  8. I gained a valuable skill from Gillian at Crafting a Rainbow.... to eliminate frump, show more skin! Lower the neckline, play with the sleeve length( or even split them down the center), shorten the skirt... saved too things me earlier this year. Lovely fabric!

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  9. I have to agree, it's not as flattering on you as other garments you've made. As another person commented, there's just too much fabric and not enough skin! Recycle that fabric though, it's really pretty and a great color on you!

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  10. AHA-I think I just realized what the problem is. You have beautiful soft sloping Edwardian shoulders-the pattern needs a squared off shoulder to hang from and look it's best (the model wearing it above has distinctly angular straight shoulders) Your tops you made recently have exposed shoulders and are really flattering on you.

    Sorry, don't mean to be a pest, it just really jumped out at me because I couldn't figure out why that dress didn't work for you!

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  11. I'm with Schmoomom: show more skin. If you want to save it, lower the neckline and shorten the sleeves. The fabric is incredibly beautiful and flattering. Don't give up on it yet.

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