Sunday, November 23, 2014

Colette Dahlia


Before I go any further I have to say that the wrinkle on my fabric from my seat belt is driving me CRAZY. 

This is the newest pattern from Colette Patterns.  I was working on my jeans when the pattern was released but I have a Colette addiction so I had to suspend work on the jeans to make this dress.
 
 
I am normally not a big fan of color blocking because it feels modern and I'm not drawn to modern looks.  I got the idea of making the bodice of the dress in a different fabric and couldn't let it go.  I made it in a non-modern print so the dress doesn't feel too modern to me.  I chose a Liberty print (another addiction) called the Margaret Annie.  I originally ordered the tan wool flannel for my Albion coat but it was too boring for that.  I didn't think I would ever use it but I like it for this dress.


My original plan was to make the bodice and sleeves from the Liberty print but I obviously just stuck with the bodice front and back.  I made all the bias tape out of the Liberty print and even went to the trouble of sewing it to the hem. I like hand sewing.


I underlined the Liberty in plain muslin.  For some reason I thought I didn't need to underline the wool flannel because it wouldn't be itchy.  It's not terrible but it would be better with an underlining.

I actually went to the trouble of measuring the pattern pieces against my own measurements.  Crazy concept, right?! My muslin fit without any adjustments (go figure).  The bust and sleeves are a 2 and I graded out to a 4 for the waist and skirt. 

The neckline fit seems to be a common issue.  There is gathering at the center of the neckline but my issue came at the shoulder.  Do you see how it sticks up? 

I thought it might just be an issue with my muslin fabric when I did my test garment.  I didn't sew the bias binding on my muslin and I also thought that might help it lay down.  It didn't.  On my actual garment I tried to fix it by gathering the shoulder a bit.  That ended up looking cheap.  Then I thought maybe a pleat might work but that looked weird and resulted in pulling along the shoulders and chest. On my third try, I added gathers on the Liberty fabric closer to the shoulders.  Also a no-go.  Gathers along the back didn't work either. I was way too lazy to sew on new sleeves, but I wonder if a solution to the problem might be to slash out a wedge at the center of the raglan sleeve which would make the sleeve more narrow.  Has anyone tried this? There is a sewalong going on right now.  I haven't read the posts but I hope the answer isn't in the sewalong and I just didn't read it!

Back to the jeans!

9 comments:

  1. 'm working on my Dahlia right now. My shoulders did a similar thing to yours on the muslin, so I folded out a bit and that seemed to help. We'll see on my finished dress though.

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  2. I had exactly the same issues with the dalia. I'm working on a plaid dahlia now and with the help of the sewalong - a narrow shoulder adjustment - it's looking good for now. I didn't know that I have narrow shoulders ;). I feel the same of using color blocking, but your version looks really beautiful on you. here the link for the adjustments: http://www.sewalongs.com/dahlia/dahlia-general-fit-and-cutting

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  3. I had the same issue with the gaping neck! Mine fit great in the bust but was too big in the neck, so I just pinched out the excess in the sleeve seams. I ended up taking out 5/8" in each sleeve seam, and it fits perfect now. I'm sure there's a more technical way to address the problem, but I figure that if pinching the seams works, then who am I to complain! I love the Liberty fabric you use--so pretty!

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  4. The reason your neckline/shoulder is standing up/gapping like that is because raglan sleeves in wovens, especially not-very-drapey wovens, often need either a shoulder dart or to be drafted as a two-piece sleeve in order to lie correctly against the shoulder slope.

    This isn't a fitting problem IMO, it's a drafting problem. Un-darted one-piece raglan sleeves are usually only suitable for knits or a really drapey woven that will follow the shoulder slope of its own accord.

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    1. I like the look of the Dahlia but have been reluctant to make it because of the bodice problems, which I've been seeing in a lot of the dresses. When you say two-piece raglan do you mean a front and a back of the sleeve, seamed down the middle. I do have narrow shoulders but a large bust and waist so am wondering if this might be the solution. But, if I were to use a more drapey fabric, say a rayon, are you saying this might not be a problem? Thanks for any enlightenment you might shed!!!!

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  5. The neck and shoulder area of the Dahlia is just poorly drafted, since every single person who makes this has the same problem, no matter what their body type. I pinched out a dart and also narrowed the enormous cuffs, and after that it fits decently well. My notes are here, if they are of any help: http://limescented.wordpress.com/2014/11/06/colette-dahlia/

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  6. Firstly I love the use of the Liberty print and the binding around the hems. It's a shame about the shoulders. Reading the above posts I agree with esseesee about wovens usually having a darted shoulder.

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  7. These comments are so helpful as I dive in! I didn't find any specific info in the sewalong ("take some fabric out at the shoulder seams"....um...ok...), so thank you all!

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