Saturday, October 1, 2016

Still summer in Texas with a Delphi Layered Maxi Dress

Delphi Maxi dress by Named with Girl Charlee fabric

Pattern:
Delphi Layered Maxi Dress by Named
Shrug from the book Just for You

Fabric:
Ikat print jersey knit from Girl Charlee 
Coral is a bamboo rayon knit jersey

Construction:
This is a great pattern, so I only made a few minor changes. 
1.  Knit stay tape in the hems of the top and bottom.  I also used the stay tape in the straps to keep them from stretching out.
2.  I like to use clear elastic in the waist of a knit dress.  To make this nice and clean I will use a basting stitch to stitch the clear elastic to the wrong side of the skirt.  In this case, I layered the clear elastic, wrong side of the skirt and the right side of the top.  The clear elastic was cut to the length of my daughters waist.  I will also pin the elastic in quarter sections so that I don't end with uneven gathers in the elastic.  Then I serge over the seam.  
3.  I sewed the straps onto the back and then folded them to the front and topstitched.  

My daughter is growing in height, but is still slim.  I used an extra small size and adjusted the shoulder straps and waist to fit her.  She loves this dress.  She wore it to school the other day and is planning to wear it to church.  

Back of Delphi Maxi dress and shrug

Cute top to the maxi dress.

She loves the back!

4 comments:

  1. I am new to your site. I like the way you explain your process for modifying your patterns. Where did you learn how to alter your patterns? Did you work in the garment industry, or learn at school, or are you self taught? I am afraid I will spoil an outfit if I attempt to deviate from the pattern. I can follow a pattern, but would really like to learn to do what you do, such as how you modified your sleeveless dresses that you showed us in your last few posts. Can you recommend a specific book or website to learn these skills? Also, do you always trace the pattern on to other paper, and why? Thank you.

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    Replies
    1. I am a self taught sewer that takes as many classes as possible. Two revolutionary resources changed my fit techniques ideas. Linda Maynard's Demystifying Fit CD from Pattern Review and the book Fitting and Pattern Alteration. The CD takes you through how to compare your sloper to any commercial pattern and make some good educated guesses about the fit and the changes needed. The book is solves every fit problem know to the human body. Unfortunately the book does not give "how" much to alter a pattern, but the correct steps involved. You have to figure out how much.

      I tend to trace a pattern onto medical exam paper because I know I will be making numerous changes and it allows me the freedom to make a mistake and the original pattern is intact.

      If you are in the Houston area, I will be teaching a few fit techniques that I use for the American Sewing Guild on October 26th. You are welcome to join us.

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  3. Thank you for recommending the Ms. Maynard's CD from Pattern Review and the "Fitting and Pattern Alteration" book. I will look into these. Hopefully, they will not be too advanced for me.

    Thank you also for the invite to your guild meeting. I live in the Los Angeles area. Unfortunately, Houston is too far away to make it to your meeting. Too bad, as I am sure that you are a good teacher.

    I didn't know there was an American Sewing Guild in existence.....Thank you for mentioning this group. I am going to research this guild to see if they have a chapter near my neck of the woods. Now that I am no longer working, my interest in sewing and quilting have become a daily endeavor. It is never too late to hone one's skills!

    Thank you again for your informative posts.

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