M6503 - Inspiration

After seeing M6503 on StitchyWitch, and thinking up a dozen different variations I'd like to have, I somewhat hastily bought it on eBay (no JoAnns for $0.99 pattern sales over here). It looks like a fairly simple pattern (allegedly "easy") and resembles some of my favourite dresses. Hurrah!

I'm a big fan of dresses and actually managed to wear a different one every day for most of December (á la Dressember). I might do that again and document it; it'd be harder in the summer though, some are just too hot.
Although I haven't seen any completed makes among the blogs I follow, Googling turned up a few, including a Make This Look on Sew Weekly which is a different interpretation to how I'd seen the pattern originally. Looking at other people's completed dresses seems like a really good idea in terms of finding out what the fit is like and what parts of the construction might cause difficulties. Yay for the internet!

Here's a little round up of what I found, in link form:

• Azalea & Rosebud Fiberworks - vintage inspired view A in aqua. I think the collar ruffles with the busy print are not for me, convenient since she reports difficulty with constructing the ruffle "sandwich" of the collar edge.
•  Historical Quintessence - straight view D in a strong floral prin. No problems reported beyond cosy sleeves. Good to be reminded of that since I seem to suffer from larger upper arms, though they've yet to descend into bingo wings...
• Sewing And Music  - She used view D to make a version of a Modcloth dress. I *think* she's quite a petite lady, the waistband looks lower than I imagine it should be and she mentions taking length out of the bodice if she were to make it again.
• Four Square Walls - this lady seems to take pattern altering in her stride, she's made not one but two dresses from this pattern. One is a longer-bodiced colour block version of view D, and the other is a heavily modified view A or B made to resemble another Modcloth dress, and it looks really nice. She observes that "the gathered bust was basically drafted for a double-Z cup" so that's something to look out for.
  

Modcloth is a very popular source of inspiration, and it's not hard to see why. So many pretty things. Definitely not within the price range I'd go for (but, as previously discussed, I am a horrible cheapskate).

I'm almost entirely new to dressmaking (apart from a too-tight halter top made for a birthday disco when I was 11) so when I finally get around to making this I won't be altering anything much.
If I do become confident enough, however, the idea of a version where the back section of the waistband is elasticated appeals to me. My umbrella dress has this feature and it means I can pull it over my head, so I might be able to lose the zip and the accompanying pokey-zip-top-in-the-armpit discomfort. The other thing my umbrella dress has is a waist tie. It's attached to the waistband up to the side seam and ties in a bow round the back, neatly covering the elastic (when I can make it stay).

Me & the wonderful Mr Adam in London, several years ago (outtake)

I can't seem to find  photos that show the structure of this dress very well, but here's an idea. The ruffle goes all the way around the back of the neck (irritating) and it's a bit too short for my liking (no bending over!) but otherwise it's nigh-on perfect. I just had a look and the armholes are finished with self bias binding and the neck is faced. Look at me, I know fancy sewing words!
I have a sixites duvet cover (previously seen here) and a new Asda charcoal grey double flat sheet, either of which might become a muslin for a sleeveless view B at some point in the future. However until I'm done with this here degree and have some sort of a future sorted out there'll be no dressmaking for me.

Progress!

 Over the weekend I did some cutting! I now have all the panels and facing for the skirt half of the dress, plus the three main bodice panels.
I didn't have the best surface to work on, I was using my mattress as a cutting table! It was only after cutting out the four skirt panels that I realised the small coffee table next to the bed was a better bed than the combination of mattress and clip frame backing I was using. Oh and I probably should have ironed the old dress pieces too... Laziness is to blame.

 

I laid out all my pieces to make sure they'd fit alright and pinned them in place, then I cut around them as best I could - I think flatter pieces and more pins would have helped.

Now I have a pile of dress pieces waiting to be sorted out and sewn together, hopefully soon to be joined by the rest of the dress pieces.
I must remember to keep each piece with its corresponding old dress piece so I have some help with where to fold and hem each bit. And I *must* remember to do the darts...
I haven't totally decided the order in which I'll assemble the dress, but I think lots of it will depend on what's tucked into where. The button placket must be one of the last things to go on as it covers the ends of all the intersecting seams. Breaking it up into mini-projects appeals (divide and conquer as CS lecturers call it), The collar and pockets lend themselves to this pretty well.
If there's any more progress before mid September then I'm probably not revising as much as I should be, that or I'm using it as a way of keeping myself sane in the face of principal ideal domains and factor rings.

In a fit of wild optimism today I bought this pattern:

It was 99p in Oxfam and these dresses look very much like the sort of thing I'd like to be wearing when it's hot. Not that I'll get anywhere near this pattern for a good few months! Oh well, I can dream...