Sunday 14 September 2014

Hepburn Dress in Chiffon

Finally, I'm back online and my life slowly settles into a routine - I hope. I'm not sewing much at the moment, because coming home from my new job just leaves me exhausted and yearning for bed. But nonetheless I have a few makes to share with you that I made before moving :)


So let me show you my version of the Hepburn Dress, which is a pattern by Audrey & Me. Audrey & Me patterns are designed by my friend Charlie from thisblogisnotforyou. Maybe you have heard about them, if not you are definitively missing out ;) I was lucky enough to test the Hepburn Dress pattern before it's release---actually I was getting on poor Charlie's nerves asking "Is it ready yet? Can I test it? I want to make it before I move, please". Haha...



I was especially thrilled to sew this pattern because I wanted to sew with Chiffon. Sewing with Chiffon was on my 2014 sewing list. I was super terrified of sewing with Chiffon and thought it would be a good idea to learn to sew with it. Charlie's pattern came to the rescue...



Pattern: Hepburn Dress by Audrey & Me pattern. PDF pattern. I made version 1, which has pleats at the neckline and boxpleats at the skirt. The pattern comes with lining instructions for the bodice.


Fabric: Butterfly Chiffon for the outer shell and a pink polyester rayon for the lining. The butterfly chiffon I got from Goldhawk Road and the rayon I bought from Minerva Crafts, when they were having a sale a while ago. I was really curios about what rayon is, as I can't get it at Goldhawk Road. And I love it.



Alterations:  Surprisingly enough, I hardly had to do any alterations! I only did my standard forward shoulder adjustment and moved the bust dart in the lining down by 1". I cut a size 10 for the bust and graded to size 12 for the waist. I think the dress sits a bit snug around my bust, so next time I will cut the bust at size 12 as well.



Construction: To make sewing with Chiffon easier, I followed the instructions of how to sew with Chiffon by Andrea posted on cation designs. Thus I soaked my massive amount of fabric (I think it was 2.5 meters) in a bowl with corn starch and water. Which should stabilise the chiffon. I then ironed the fabric dry. Which was a total mess with the starched water dropping everywhere and soaking my ironing board despite me constantly changing the towels beneath the fabric. It took me one hour to get it dry and the fabric seemed to become stiff. (The stiffness didn't go away after washing so I guess I melted the polyester???)



The actual sewing wasn't a problem at all. I finished all seams with french seams to achieve a nice and tidy finish. I even managed to put a french seam below the zipper thanks to the description from Mercury-Handmade fashion. However, there was one point that I didn't think through when choosing my lining fabric: You can see the darts and seams through the shell because I chose a contrast lining, buh. I also managed to put the lining wrong way in. With the darts looking towards the shell. I don't mind too much and next time I will know better.



To line the skirt, I just assembled two skirts - one made from shell and one from lining fabric. So you can say I sewed the dress twice :) I hand stitched lining and shell together at the waist seam, which took me 2 hours. I attempted first to stitch in the ditch by machine, but due to the slippery fabrics, the stitches were not at all in the ditch!



The hems are finished with the rolled hem function of my overlocker. So quick :)

Have I worn it yet? I did several times. It goes perfectly with my Hetty Cardigan and white tights and these cute pink shoes I bought recently (which you can see only in the first pic).



Will I make it again? Yes I will for sure. Maybe not this year, because I'm feeling already to cold to wear sleeveless dresses, but definitively next year :)

21 comments:

  1. I loooove it! It's great to see my pattern coming alive :) The fabrics go perfectly together and you look stunning in this dress, the cardigan and those pretty shoes! I actually really like the contrasting lining and don't mind the darts showing through. You can also see them a bit on my chiffon Hepburn. Great job! Thanks again for testing the pattern :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for inviting me to test it :) it was the first pattern I hardly had to do any adjustments for. So I love it :)

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  2. This dress is gorgeous, well done, I have never worked with such a difficult fabric, it kind of scares me. You have matched it beautifully with the cardigan and the shoes.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Tzai. I can totally understand that you are scarred. I'm still am when thinking about the other two chiffon so that are in my stash.

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  3. Wow, I love it! Totally gorgeous. You've really encouraged me to have another go with chiffon in more challenging project. Xxx

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    Replies
    1. Hehe, I'm glad I'm giving you some inspiration. Go chiffon go :)

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  4. So pretty, Ela! I love the entire ensemble. Way to go for conquering your fears about chiffon!

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  5. It's gorgeous Ela! I haven't worked with chiffon - I'm not sure I will after your description of the ironing!! But love the outfit with Hetty, just lovely!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Sabs. I hope I haven't put you off totally. Just give it a go and it will be so worth it. I'm sure there are other methods to sew with chiffon on the internet. Methods that will not take that long and will be less messy.

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  6. Such a pretty dress! I really like the look of the contrast lining too :)

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  7. It's so pretty! And you're right, the whole outfit does look lovely together. The Hepburn is definitely on my to-sew list. I know what you mean about it getting too cold for sleeveless dresses, I'm thinking it could be good as a party dress though!

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    Replies
    1. It would definitively work as a fancy party dress. In a shiny fabric :) but I would still be freezing, haha. But seeing your layering examples on your blog, I'm inspired to make aversion that you can layer as well with long sleeved shirts :)

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  8. Love this! The fabric really suits the Hepburn. I especially love the gorgeous neckline - so sweet

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    Replies
    1. Thanks :) I'm sure Charlie will be super happy to read this. See you at the sewbrum . I just booked the train tickets :)

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  9. It's beautiful! I wouldn't worry about the darts showing through - it helps show off the details in the pattern.

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  10. This is beautiful, and it looks great with your pink cardigan. The fabric is so pretty, and yey to so few fitting issues.

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  11. Wow Daniela! This is so perfectly you! That fabric is amazing and I love the pink underneath. Very beautiful!
    That stinks what happened with starch and ironing. I sometimes spray my slippery fabrics with starch or hairspray until they are stiff, I also sandwich the fabric with tracing paper on both sides to keep it in place. Glad you were able to whip out a beautiful dress despite the starch issues :)

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  12. Your dress is so pretty! I love the pleats and how the lining gives the dress a hint of pink :)

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