Simplicity Cynthia Rowley Sew Along - Prep

Welcome!  This is my first sew along so hang in there and point it out if I skip something or it's confusing.  I highly recommend reading over my directions and pictures before you actually start sewing each week's section just to be sure I didn't mess up or confuse you :).

So here's what you'll need:

Simplicity 1873 by Cynthia Rowley in the correct size.  It comes in 6-12 and 14-22.

Fabric of your choice.  The amount is on the back of the envelope based on your size.

Pick your dress view and size.  You'll notice under the dress there's a 45" and 60" option.  This is the width of the fabric.  It'll be printed on the end of the bolt where the price is.  If you can't find it, ask the person cutting your fabric :).

Let's measure.  Measure the fullest part of your bust, the smallest part of your waist (above your belly button - where you see the center of the hourglass) and over your hip bones.  Hip measurement really isn't important in this pattern though.  

Make sure the tape is comfortable around you.  Don't pull it super tight, that's not an accurate measurement.  Give yourself room to slide a couple of fingers between the tape and your body. The general rule is if you have bulging on either side of the tape, it's too tight!

That's it.  Find your fabric, buy your pattern.  Then come back here and post pictures of your fabric and what dress you're going to make.  Fun!

I've picked a basic aqua Kona cotton.  If this is your first dress, I would suggest picking a plain fabric or one with an all over print that doesn't need to be matched.  Stripes, plaids, etc., will be more difficult.

Happy shopping!!

Anna Coronation Dress Tutorial

So here's the dress to recreate.

I'm using my standard pattern that I always use.  Simplicity 2817.

The biggest problem when adapting a pattern is figuring out how much fabric you'll need; especially with a pattern that always overestimates yardage.  Here's what I bought.

Hunter lining (for underskirt, bodice lining and sleeves

-2.25 (I had about half left)

Black velveteen (bodice and straps)

-.50 (almost half left, enough for another bodice)

Home decor Soraia Mist (over skirt)

- 25"/.70 (id number if you want it - 400060961929) (using all)

1 package double fold gold metallic bias tape

1 package single fold gold metallic bias tape

So first things first.  Cut your pattern. Measure your child first as pattern sizes I find run large.  My girls are on the small side.  Here is my altered version of the bodice front piece.

Altered back.  Start at the underarm seam and cut straight across so you have a large rectangle.

Now pin and cut your fabric.  Use the triangle marks on the top pieces, but don't bother with the skirt, they won't line up.  

Bodice:

1 bodice front in black on fold

2 bodice back pieces in black

1 bodice front in lining on fold

2 bodice back pieces in lining

I don't like having a front seam.  I cut the bodice front on a fold.  You need to compensate for the seam allowance that would normally be there so slide the pattern so it overhangs the fold 5/8".  If you don't, your bodice will be 5/8" larger than it's supposed to.

Do this for bodice and lining front.

For the skirt, cut one front piece on the fold and one side back and front (piece 10) instead of two.  Don't cut it on the fold.  

Now the over skirt.  I decided to cut it into strips like this.

I ended up with 7 large strips, with 7 or 8 skinny strips left that were in the middle.  Now I need to serge them.  I don't have a serger.  I experimented with a couple different stitches and stitch sizes on a scrap piece.

I liked 16 with a tighter and shorter stitch.

 

Start sewing up the sides.  Start with your needle in the down position, then slide your fabric over until it hits the needle.  That's the perfect position.

Right side done, left still unfinished.

Now that all your prep is done, it's time to start construction in the next post.

Frozen Dress Overload

So if you're daughter is anything like mine, she's obsessed with Frozen.  Both of my daughters love it, but the youngest is obsessed.  When the movie came out, I knew it was going to happen.  It's happened with Princess and the Frog, Tangled, and Brave.  What followed was mommy making a matching princess dress.  When I saw Frozen, my heart sank looking at the costumes.  Trying to do the embroidery, find the elaborate fabrics, it was going to be a nightmare.

In December I started asking Emmeline if she wanted an Elsa dress for our trip at the end of January.  She waffled.  Finally 2 weeks before I gave her the final deadline.  She looked at me and said very nonchalantly "nah, I'll just buy one there."  Yep, no big, $70 dress.  Alice didn't care either way as long as she got an Anna dress.  Luckily we had enough rewards on our Disney visa to cover them.  First order of business upon arrival in Magic Kingdom?  Buying dresses. We went straight to castle couture and were told by a very sweet lady, who I'm sure was asked thousands of times a day, that they had none and weren't anticipating another shipment for at least a month.  Checked at BBB.  For the first trip in about 3 years, we didn't make an appointment.  We were afraid that since Alice was so close to 3 and would know what was going on that it wasn't fair to her.  BBB lady tells us that they have some on some days but not others AND she couldn't sell me one without an appointment.  Sad girls.  Luckily (?) we were sick for most of the trip, so that took their minds off the disappointment.  

When we got home, I made Emmeline an Elsa dress for king/queen day at school in less than 24 hours because I forgot!  

Not my best work.  Seams are already splitting because I used an already cut size 3 and didn't notice until it was too late.  I just sewed with a small seam allowance.

I have since sewn another one with the same pattern, McCall's 5499 for my great niece (I swear I'm only 31!).  Basically I cut the pattern pieces in half at the waistline (make very sure they're even!) and used a sheer for the top with the sequin pieces over it and used a different fabric for the skirt.  I was super bummed that I couldn't find the snowflake fabric again for dress number 2, but other than that I think it was more successful than the first.

Here's my gorgeous great niece in her dress:

I've added Anna's traveling dress (pics soon) for my great niece.  My husbands nephew is the same age as us, our kids are the same age.  I made her a couple dresses around Halloween for their Disney trip.  When my niece (feels so odd to say that) asked me to make Anna and Elsa for her daughters birthday I hesitated because of the designs on the bodice, etc.  I finally volunteered after initially saying no if she would do the designs.  She's a genius btw.  Iron on.

Here she is in Anna's traveling dress (the gorgeous artwork was done by my niece and painted on.

A picture of my daughter modeling it without all the pretty painting.

So now Anna's coronation dress didn't seem so daunting.  I bought some light green striped fabric at Joann's and a decorative ribbon that I was going to see to every other stripe.  It was the most viable option I could find until I wandered into the home decor fabrics at the big Joann's 45 min away (we have a tiny one in town).  There it was, the perfect fabric.

Not perfectly perfect, the green and beige are reversed, but close enough.  I have 10 days until Alice's birthday.  Time to get sewing.

Tutorial will be in its own post so you have to read all this drivel to get to it :).