Mad for Plaid Pt.2.

To continue where I left off last week, I want to share the next project in my capsule collection experiment.  This dress was actually the first garment I completed for my summer capsule collection. I had it finished in time to debut it during Me-Made-May. My progress on the remainder of the plaid collection has kept me from posting it. 

After choosing my patterns, I was most eager to begin work on the dress I'd selected. I'm a sucker for envelop art, and Simplicity 2104 lured me in. Those box pleats! How could I resist? Sewing this pattern was easy and fuss free. I made my standard fit adjustments. The dress looked great on Midge. So, I was surprised that it fit me so poorly when I tried it on.    

Immediately, I'd wished I'd increased my side seams for a closer fitting waist and taken an extra half inch from the length of my bodice. But these are tolerable. The biggest problem I had was with the high bust. You may have noticed that there isn't a gathered neckline incorporated into the original pattern. Gathering a line of stitching across the neckline was the only way I could think to save this dress from disaster. Without the stitching, the neckline stands-up on its own and hangs WIDE open. I've never had this problem before. Usually, I take my bust measurement from the apex, and everything else falls into place. Not true here. 

I was able to leave the back as it was originally drafted. The fit across the shoulder is decent but wider than I'm accustomed to, and I find I'm often pushing at the shoulders to keep them up. 

Then, there's the side closure. The button/snap side fastening closure is something I'd never done before. I wouldn't mind it except, I cannot get the overlap pleat to lay properly- Not for all the pressing and fiddling in the world. I'm very conscious of it while I'm wearing the dress. It's probably not as noticeable to everyone else, but It drives me crazy. 

There are some things about this garment I am pleased with. My horizontal lines throughout the entire construction match PERFECTLY. They look so good, it bothers me I didn't put the same amount of time and care into matching the vertical lines, albeit, I'm not sure that would have been entirely possible, given the volume of the skirt and the amount of pleating. 

Despite not being completely satisfied with the fit of this dress, I wore it several times throughout the summer and yesterday during a meetup with Chicago lovelies Gina and Mari and Nashville's finest, Lauren (a.k.a. Lladybird).