This holiday, I got completely obessesed by the Tiramisu pattern from Cake - which lead to 4 different versions, with fabric for one more! I had so much fun doing Top 5 and then Sewing Dares that I’ve fallen completely behind on blogging FO, so I’m jumping right in with #3. I promise I’ll come back and blog the other ones later!
What I love about this pattern is that it works, every time. I’ve made it in cotton jersey, 4-way stretch jersey, poly ITY, and this heavy double knit, and they all FIT! I made little changes each time: Sizing the bodice down, playing with the skirt, using contrast fabric, and lengthening the sleeves. The beauty of a really well-drafted pattern though is that you can riff on a theme, making any changes you want, safe in the knowledge that it’ll work out in the end!
This fabric is seriously heavy, and all polyester, so I worried a bit about how it would turn out as a dress. The answer is, it’s great! Warm and cosy, shows no lumps or bumps, and the skirt is swingy and fun. I used a whole lot of steam to tame the thick seams, and set my serger to gather ever-so-slightly so that the seams didn’t get stretched out and wobbly. For topstitching, it really helped to gently force extra fabric under the machine foot as it sewed - resulted in nice, flat seams!
I shortened the waistband piece about 2cm… Looking at the pictures, maybe I went overboard! I like a highwaist though - things get lumpy lower down! :P
Have you seen Heather’s long-sleeved Tira? I followed her lead and just extended the line of the sleeves straight out from the pattern. In the end they are a little snug, but quite comfy. I worry about the amount of strain on the underarm seam though - Anyone know if there is a way to do a cut-on underarm gusset with knits?
I’m a little bemused that this dress turn out looking so… dressy (It makes me feel like a 50’s dinner party hostess - but with stretch!) because the real reason I bought this fabric is that it matches the Christmas stocking I made my husband last year from a remnant! (He likes black. Everything must be black!) Turns out they aren’t exactly the same though - The dress fabric is there at the top, and the stocking fabric is in the bottom right. Definitely from the same line though. I have just enough of each leftover to make something small - I wonder what?
In other news…
Sewing Dares are sweeping the twittersphere! If you want in, just gimme a shout here or on twitter, and we’ll come up with something perfect for you! I’ll update yesterday’s post soon with all the new dares.
I’m really enjoying the challenge of my own dare: to mix bold prints in one garment. It’s *just* outside my comfort zone, and surprisingly difficult to nail! My 4th Tira does actually involve missing prints, but that’s the one part of the dress I don’t love! More practice is needed before I’ve really nailed this dare.
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