Sunday, September 12, 2010

One for the pyre

It seems the whole world is in an incendiary mood. I do not support book burning of any sort, but am about to start a bonfire of my own. The bad frock pyre.
I am so cross that I spent over a week making this dress for the Jewish New Year. The pattern is Simplicity 2724 and while it is quite well made, it doesn't suit me at all. The silky top and ruffle accentuates my full bust-not in a Christina Henricks way-and the high waisted skirt is just unflattering. My new mantra is make a muslin first, because tissue fitting will only tell that the garment will fit. The pyre is imaginary only - I will take off the bottom half to make a skirt and am pondering the impossibilities for rescuing the top half. What would you throw onto the bad frock pyre? - bad patterns would help stoke the embers too.


Meanwhile, I've had a better start to my summer sewing with my white skirt using the fabulous Simplicity 2475. I cut the curvy and it fitted with only a very minor adjustment to the waist band. I am making view B. Should be finished in a day or so, as I decided that I needed to add a white lining to avoid show through.

16 comments:

  1. That's a sad story. That's the down side of sewing...all that effort and nothing to wear at the end of it. I do love my "what not to wear" books...I think they have reduced my poor pattern choices.

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  2. Bummer - just notch it up as experience. It does look very well made!

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  3. What a pity it doesn't suit you. Aweful after all the work involved.

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  4. Oh dear, it looks great on the mannequin, sad after all that effort. Maybe if you removed the ruffles from the top it would be better?
    Thanks for your comment. Actually there wasn't a soul in sight on the beach to raise any eyebrows at all; I'm too shy to take my photo if anyone is there to watch!

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  5. What a disappointment. Is there any chance the top can be salvaged and converted into an open-style top/jacket? by altering the CF and adding a waistband. It's just so damn pretty!

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  6. How sad...It looks so nice on the dress form!

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  7. oh, booo! How disappointing. Let's add my plastic looking pique skirt from last week to the pyre!

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  8. I hate that, when you put so much time and effort into a dress and you're unhappy with the way it looks on you after all that! Hoping you can find a way to salvage it.

    As for the Bad Frock Pyre, I think I'll add on the dress I sewed for my brother's wedding last October. The top half, at least-- I'm hoping to chop it into a skirt.

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  9. So very sorry, Gail! It looks so promising on the form, too. Good plan for the skirt, and I wonder if mini-you would dig the top as a blouse?

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  10. Argh, it is SOOOOO cute, too. Would your daughter wear it? I'd hate for it to go onto the pyre - it is really too lovely.

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  11. Oh no! It's so cute though! Let's add my Vogue dress to the fire, too!

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  12. Shame about the dress, but if you are in the mood for a garment pyre, I have several UFO's that keep getting shuffled around my sewing room. It's time they went.

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  13. It's a shame! Sew a pencil skirt that shirt, maybe .... Volume is good to have only part of the dress.
    Apart .. you have a little present in my blog.

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  14. It looks like a great dress, but if it isn't flattering it has to go! I have quite a few garments in my closet that I love but never wear because they don't suit me --- my Bad Frock Pyre would be very large indeed. I love the idea of turning the bottom half into a skirt --- such a beautiful fabric that it will look wonderful.

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  15. if you don't like it, donate to goodwill, please. you will make someone very happy.

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  16. What a bummer! I do hope you can salvage the top and bottom for separates though, as they look great and you can tell you put a lot of work in on them.

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