Tuesday, January 27, 2015

A New Dress, Marci Tilton's V8817

That's right. I said V8817 and it seemed like a good idea at the time! I made a great fitting top that I love and reasoned it would make an equally great dress but  I'm not so sure about this one.




Here is the top


and now the dress



I finished the neckline with a narrow band



I added another narrow band of black here to outline the curved seam.



I used black cuffs


and I guess this wasn't such a great idea. What I wish I had done was to add an exposed zipper and make the back minus the curved upper back piece. I could still make that happen but I probably won't.



The fabric is scuba knit. I LOVE SCUBA KNIT ! ! ! ! !
I could do a whole post about SCUBA KNIT !
I first used it for yoga pants and absolutely fell in love. There will be more garments made with this wonderful fabric. I buy mine at Fabricville It is smooth, doesn't pill like ponte and wears exceptionally well





To take care of those wrinkles , I added a light shoulder pads and that made all the difference ( no pic).


So, can I have your honest opinion ? What do you think? Is it ugly or am I obsessing ? I would really appreciate your opinions.

More later from





25 comments:

Juliet said...

I think it looks good and very you! It definitely looks better on than in the flat. Do wear it.

Ann Brodsky said...

I think it's stunning! Your fabric is beautiful and it fits great. I'm with you on scuba fabric- I've only sewn with it once, and can't wait to get my hands on more.

Molly said...

I think it looks great, so wearing it depends on how comfortable you feel in it.

What is SCUBA KNIT? Do, please, write a post on it.

freshcityfarm said...

It's beautiful!!! Wear it!

SewCraftyChemist said...

It's FANTASTIC!!!

Jeanette said...

I agree with the other comments and will add that it's flattery with the black on the sides and the print in the middle.

Do you know of other sewing bloggers near your age? I'm in my sixties and want to start sewing again. Most of the blogs I've found are written by much younger women, and I'd like to see more blogs from those my own age. Thanks.

Linda T said...

I really like the dress (and the top). I've avoided scuba knit since it is 100% poly and I generally don't do ponte--too hot for me in my part of the country. I love the prints I've seen, but not the fabric content.

Wear the dress with pride!

Faye Lewis said...

So gorgeous and we'll designed.

Faye Lewis said...

So gorgeous and we'll designed.

Diana said...

Jeanette, I do know other bloggers our age.For example ,if you look at the other comments here, Linda is in our age range. Faye is a mature woman as well. I can't think of anybody else at the moment but there are quite a few.

Sueannsews said...

I think the dress is lovely. If and it is just a maybe, next time you might try curving the front panel piece around your hip area. Sometimes it gives a flattering look to color blocking. You can always print out a copy of your photo on paper and use a marker or cut and paste the printed area of the dress. I would most certainly wear this dress.

Kendra said...

Stunning! I think it's very flattering on you!

Vicki said...

I think it looks lovely. Maybe better without the black upper back but perfectly fine as is. Isn't scuba knit quite thick? I have some neoprene which I think is the same thing (they make scuba suits out of it). I can't imagine having yoga pants in it.

Sharon said...

Wear your dress with pride, the only change I would make is to remove the back black half circle at the top, but you can't see that so have fun in your fabulous dress.

Sarah Liz said...

The dress looks very smart - I agree with you that the back half circle is not needed - I also agree with everyone else - the dress is lovely, so wear it - I don't think anyone will think twice about the back. Sharon(petite and sewing) and myself are also mature bloggers, if you would like to let Jeanette know.

Sew, Jean Margaret said...

This is a lovely dress. I like the way you have highlighted the curved seam at the front with the black. I love scuba knit too.

Donna D said...

I do think the dress is quite striking, and looks very good on you. I had to look back at the dress to see what you meant about not liking the black at the back, so do wear it. I have 2 more pieces of fabric like the scuba knit, and have avoided using it. I think I am one of the few people who is not a fan. I find it smooth, but cold to wear. I do like that it does not wrinkle or pill, but I find it a little thick. I will make another pair of yoga pants with it, though, in navy as it will be a basic pant that I can wear with casual tops.

patsijean said...

Jeanette, try A Fool For Fabric for a stylish woman who sews beautiful garments. http://fool4fabric.blogspot.com/

patsijean said...

I agree that this dress does not look good on the rack, but is stunning when worn. The only change I would make, if it is possible, is to scoop out a bit of the back neckline to mimic the scoop of the contrast print, but that is so minor it may not be worth the time.

Jeanette said...

Thank you, Patsijean and Diana for your suggestions for sewing bloggers my age. I am checking them out.

shams said...

Ugly? Where is that coming from! This is a beautiful dress! Very graphic and it looks great on you! I especially like the front detail.

MaryEllen said...

It's a great dress & fits you very well !!!
From a blogger turning 64 next week & love sewing !!!!

Jean said...

This dress looks really good on you -- you have to wear it! I'm not a fan of the black piece in back, but it doesn't detract from the overall dress. Your bands look perfectly sewn -- so jealous of your skills!

Connie Turner said...

I love the dress, I would take out the fill in black back piece. It will look better with just a scoop back neckline.

Gail said...

Clever use of the pattern. I also love scuba knit and discovered that you can get a similar effect by fusing ponte on a high heat.