Monday, July 14, 2014

A Sandra Betzina Dress

I've been absent from blogging for a while now. Two weeks ago, I lost a dear friend to a freak accident . It's been hard to continue with life's daily routine when  you've lost someone so dear to you.I don't have a lot of good friends but Beverley was one of the ones I do have. It's really hard to believe she's gone. I'll always miss her.

The past week has been especially trying because the province of New Brunswick was hit hard by Hurricane Arthur last Saturday. No lives lost but many, many trees uprooted and the loss of electricity and telephone service for many of us. Ours was finally restored last night . Thank God for NB Power and Quebec Hydro who came to our rescue.

I've had this dress made for a while now at the request of my sewing ladies who asked if it could be their summer project. They often look through my patterns and this Sandra Betzina pattern ,V1101, now out of print, really appealed to them. My version was the test to see if I thought they could handle it.



If anyone has this pattern and would like to join our Sew Along, I've documented the steps and will soon publish a series of posts of the various steps on Diana's Sewing Lessons.

Here is my version.



The two tone chevron effect was quite accidental. My fabric is a two tone linen, thus when I chenilled it, each side highlighted one of the two colours of the weave. I used white linen for the facing which shows behind the chenille work.




The back area is also suppose to be chenilled. Well this chenilling business was a lot of work and I soon decided that I would only do a few rows at the back. I'm satisfied with that. Actually, you wouldn't have to do any at all.




There was a lovely white fringed selvedge on one side of the fabric and a blue one on the other. I turned up a narrow hem on the dress and then zigzagged the selvedge to that. I love this little extra touch of white.


As for the pockets, I've used this style several times before and have a tutorial here. I omitted the zippers because I didn't have any on hand and thought that I'd prefer them open. Now I wish I had added them.


When I tried on the dress after basting the side seams , I thought there was too much fabric at the hips and it wasn't flattering. So I took away some of the fullness. I started at the hips , drew a new cutting line and finished by taking off  a wedge that was about 2" by the bottom of the skirt.


That worked nicely and is much more flattering.





This is how I will wear this dress to church



The photos give me a heavier look but in person,the dress doesn't add the pounds but is flattering ,I think.
This is the perfect summer dress to wear on those hot ,humid days of July.(like today )
For those of you who love the bias cut and who love linen, you would love this pattern.

Happy Summer Sewing to All !



15 comments:

Andrea said...

Oh Diana, my heart goes out to you. Our girlfriends are so important to us, I can only begin to imagine the pain you are feeling. You will be in my prayers.

I'm glad to hear you have utilities back and are safe. Your dress is lovely, and the color suits you well. I love the chenille effect.

Linda T said...

So, so sorry to hear of the loss of your dear friend. I lost a childhood friend a number of years ago, and I still miss her. Time and faith helps to come to grips with all the feelings--at least for me.

The dress: end version is flattering and looks cool and comfy. I did some chenille a long time ago. Yes, lots of work, and I found the garment too hot for my liking. Of course, the whole top was chenilled. I felt like I was wearing a blanket! ;-)

Amanda S. said...

I'm so sorry you have lost such a dear friend. What a sad couple of weeks you have had. Hugs from Texas.

SewCraftyChemist said...

Very sorry for your loss.

Love the dress. The color is happy :)

Jenny said...

I'm so sorry about your friend. :-( Your dress is so beautiful and perfect in linen for summer. I wish I had the pattern!

Kristen ~ Bread and Buttonholes said...

I am so sorry for the loss of your dear friend and the difficult storm you have been through.

Great work on the cute summer dress! Thank you for continuing to share.

Sharon said...

I wish I could give you a hug, so sorry to hear of your loss.

Your dress looks perfect for those hot humid days and the colour is so pretty on you and the slimmer silhouette is spot on.

Kathy Zachry said...

I'm praying for you and your friend's family. What a tragic loss. I'm sure sewing will be healing in some ways.

I purchased some of that 2-color linen on a trip to LA and have been waiting for inspiration, as it's pretty stiff. Love your idea! Bias just might be the thing!

Karhy

Sarah Liz said...

I'm sorry to hear about your loss, Diana. The grief will take time, and you will never forget your friend.

You have done a beautiful job on the dress- absolutely perfect for summer. - sometimes it is very nice to have something to distract us.

Vicki said...

So sorry to hear about your friend. It must be a shock, and a great loss to you and her family.

Claire S. said...

So sorry about your friend, Diana. Praying for you.

Love the dress, looks perfect for these hot days :-)

Summer Flies said...

I'm sorry for your loss Diana.

Your dress looks really fabulous. The linen is beautiful - a lovely colour match not often seen. The chevron and chenille look is really unique. It looks much more flattering taken in a bit and I love the white selvage edge on the hem.

Joyree said...

So sorry about the loss of your dear friend. I can't imagine the heartache. Only time can heal that wound.

Hugs, Joy

Sandra said...

Diana, I'm so sorry to learn of your friend's death. It's always difficult, but in some ways, even more so when the friend dies suddenly. I have had a similar loss... I'll be keeping you in my prayers. And I just love how your dress turned out!

Ann Made Studio said...

Diana, I am so very sorry for the loss of your friend!
Hoping to get together with you some time soon!