Friday, October 2, 2015

Experiments in Sewing - The Paper Gown

Shortly after wearing my daughter's dress to last year's Charity Ball, I began the hunt for a gown that I could sew for the 2015 event.  I found this treasure: Burdastyle Hourglass Lace Gown (11/2014 #121).  I'm not sure what I was thinking when I picked it out in February. It has long sleeves?  It's fitted? Maybe it was on sale.
Does it seem a little too "bombshell" for me?

I finally got the nerve to print out the PDF (64 pages!), but my tracing paper was nearly gone.  While looking for an online source, I came across Swedish Tracing Paper, and I was apparently taken in by the clever marketing: 
  • "Drapably soft, yet strong enough to sew on!" 
  • "Sew the paper pattern and try it on before cutting out your expensive fabric."  
I would have made a toile, anyway, but my muslin stash was also out of stock.  Hmmm, this kills two birds, with one stone.

Well, not really.  You must trace your pattern twice, and the paper is not at all drapable.  It is really a stiff interfacing.  Although it is technically sewable, it tears easily, especially when ripping out stitches.  Admittedly, it is easy to fix a tear by ironing on fusible interfacing.

Adding to my distaste of the tracing paper, the instructions for this pattern were terrible.  I still haven't figured out how the author intended to have the bust cups inserted with lining (I planned to line it by hand, anyway).  I inserted the yokes backwards, and sewed the front pieces incorrectly.  I found the naming conventions difficult to reconcile (what is the difference between "front center" and front middle")? 

After putting the paper gown together, complete with an invisible zipper, I asked my husband's help in zipping it up.  
"It won't zip up all the way." He seemed to struggle with it.
"It zipped up for me just fine.  Is it caught in the paper?  Don't tear the paper!"
More struggling, then he pulled so hard the zipper pull flew right off the top of the zipper.  "I didn't know a zipper could do that." He answered, dumbfounded.  
No photos of me wearing it.

So after unpicking the zipper and sewing in a second, we tried it again. It may be the fact that it is made with paper, instead of a nicely draping fabric (or even a poorly draping fabric), but I couldn't get it off quickly enough after seeing it in the mirror.

I'm not sure why I hated it.  Was it because the yokes were so wide set that I knew the shoulders and sleeves would slip off and annoy me?  Maybe because I could see right through the paper and hated what I saw underneath?  Maybe I expected it to look as good on 5'5" me as it did on a 6' model? Or perhaps I felt as though I had draped myself in Austrian blinds.
Maybe because I felt like I was wearing this.

It is still on the dress form in the dining room, because I hate to give up on it just yet. I could easily extend or shift the yokes toward the center, but I am not sure I want to, so I am searching for an alternative.  I have such a hard time sewing for myself.  I am not sure why!

The good news is that a Joann Fabrics is opening close to home today, so I am off to buy some muslin and see what sort of inspiration I can find.



   

15 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry to hear about your struggles. To try the pattern out in fabric is definitively a good idea, something drapey, maybe not even a real muslin. As for the naming: I guess it is a bad translation from german 'front center' is 'vordere mitte' which, translated word by word, is 'front middle'. Hope you get it sorted out as it is a fabulous dress.

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    1. Thank you. You are right that it needs to be tried in a crepe-like fabric if I want to know what it really looks like. As my mother would say, I was "taking the lazy man's way" by using paper!

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  2. i thought maybe you'd made some sort of cool artsy paper project when i read the title! ugh, i'm sorry the paper didn't work for you. i swear by the stuff, but i've never tried it for something as drapey as this dress. oh... and i've eyed this dress many times... that ruching all up and down the front is what holds me back. it's interesting that it's done in black on the model, the ruching is lost to the eye and i think that's the dress i want!

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    1. I know, it is deceptive marketing isn't it? It actually does look kind of sculptural in my dining room, though. I have some tops with ruching in that area that looks really nice, so maybe it's the paper, or maybe I do need to redraft without the ruching. I was so hoping that the Swedish tracing paper would work out. I probably chose the wrong project to experiment with it!

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  3. Oh I do wish you good luck and I think that using a muslin fabric (which doesn't have to be muslin after all) that is similar to the real fabric would give you a much better idea. I 'm on the fence about ruching and agree that sometimes it works and other times, not so much.

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  4. Oh I do wish you good luck and I think that using a muslin fabric (which doesn't have to be muslin after all) that is similar to the real fabric would give you a much better idea. I 'm on the fence about ruching and agree that sometimes it works and other times, not so much.

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    1. Thanks Diana! I am moving toward trying it in a fabric to see if it's as bad as I think it is.

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  5. What an interesting dress! I didn't see the ruching, either. I bet it would be quite nice done up in a fabric that works with the design, and altered to fit rather than annoy. But if it displeases you, move on! There are plenty more patterns in the sea :)

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    1. Thanks Robin. I am still on the fence -- not sure if I want to do it up in fabric, or just move on. It still hangs in my dining room daring me to do something with it.

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  6. I have recently seen reviews for the swedish tracing paper where people rave about it. But I thought it would be a bit stiff and un-easy - just as you found. Also I have had exactly the same problem with zips recently that you have. So it sounds totally frustrating all round. However the dress looks great and I am sure you will have more success with proper toiling fabric.

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  7. I have recently seen reviews for the swedish tracing paper where people rave about it. But I thought it would be a bit stiff and un-easy - just as you found. Also I have had exactly the same problem with zips recently that you have. So it sounds totally frustrating all round. However the dress looks great and I am sure you will have more success with proper toiling fabric.

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  8. I have recently seen reviews for the swedish tracing paper where people rave about it. But I thought it would be a bit stiff and un-easy - just as you found. Also I have had exactly the same problem with zips recently that you have. So it sounds totally frustrating all round. However the dress looks great and I am sure you will have more success with proper toiling fabric.

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Kate! I think that I probably tested the Swedish stuff on the wrong pattern. It may work better on something with no ruching. I'm willing to try it again sometime, but in the meantime, I just bought more of my plain medical exam paper!

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  9. I am working on this pattern myself and unfortunately there are very few blog posts or reviews about it. I started by making a muslin out of the lining pieces and am working with the real fabric now. The pattern instructions are definitely lacking in detail! sorry to hear the paper pattern mock up didn't work, :(. Sounded like a good idea though!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! I am glad to hear someone else is attempting this. I want to see your finished version. Although I have not yet completed this one, i really want to!

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