Monday, November 30, 2015

SEWING FAIL - New Look 6145

This post was written months ago. I was waiting for a pic of the offending dress, but decided against that and am posting without said picture. See related post here.

Pattern: New Look 6145 (2012)

Pattern Description: View B. Loose dress with sleeve and neckline options, and back-zippered closure.

Pattern Sizing: A (8-10-12-14-16-18) I cut a 12 from the shoulders down to a 14 at the hips and 16 at the hem.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing it? No! Human error resulted in a dress that did not fit.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, extremely easy.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I have been seeking a shift dress pattern for a long time and the finished garments I've seen from this pattern seemed to fit my vision. However, I was in denial about my measurements and this dress did not have a chance.


Fabric Used: 2 yards multi-color 100% polyester print free from the VA/DC/MD blogger meet-up.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: Having made an earlier muslin of this pattern I knew I needed to make some alterations. I combined elements from this pattern and one of my tried-n-true patterns, the Grainline Scout tee to alter the problems I felt I was having in the neckline and upper back area. You can see the details here.

As the fabric was extremely slippery, I thought about  using starch to tame it but ended up just adjusting the machine tension. I tried different needles (I started with the recommended 9 but ended up using a size 11), doubled the amount of pins I used, and held my fabric steady in front and back of the needle while stitching seams. A good press afterwards curbed any of the rippling seams that were originally there.

Worst fabric to sew!!
After stitching the seams, I had to pink them as this fabric would not stop raveling.

Well, the dress did not fit at all. I completely got my measurements wrong. I was aware that I gained weight but did not think to take my measurements again. Therefore, the one-inch increase in my actual bust resulted in tightness under the arms and the two-inch increase in both my waist and hips created a tight and strained hip area.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  I may attempt this pattern again using my correct measurements. I still want to achieve versions of my inspiration dress (below) in the future.

J. Crew shift dress
Conclusion: What more can I say, it didn't fit (AT ALL) and it was an extreme disappointment.

Part 1: Seeking the Sublime Shift
Part 2: In Progress: To Frankenpattern a Shift Dress

5 comments:

SewTypical said...

Appreciate your posting the details of what went wrong. It happens to all of us now and then. (sigh!)

mrsmole said...

One trick to make life easier is to write down your measurement on the back of the envelope before you cut it out, then when you go back to make another version you will have a reference as to what you were last time against what you are today. This works well for clients who shift their weight up and down. Can you add a solid panel down both sides in the side seams to make it fit? I have seen a few of these techniques this year on other blogs.

lsaspacey said...

I thought about adding panels but I don't think it's worth the bother. Maybe I'll come back to it in the spring?

allie J. said...

For what it's worth, I have made this dress and it TOTALLY didn't work on me, it was all wrong. Better luck next time!

lsaspacey said...

How exactly did it not work, is it worth me trying again in a larger size?