Liesl & Co. Weekend Getaway - Take 2

So where was I?....

There's some vintage Japanese silk to be turned into something and I was playing around with the Weekend Getaway pattern to see if I could make it work. If you recall I bought some mushroom-y grey/brown fabric with silver spots to make a practice run but then decided I liked it too much, so the other one (which I'm wearing as I type this) came into being first.

I overdosed on slippery pattern matching and got happily sidetracked by crisper fabrics and easier things to sew. But the lure of the grey/brown fabric was strong and there was a party to attend. This frock needed to be sewn by Saturday night.

I had initially bought some matching coloured batiste cotton thinking I could underline the dress, or make an identical underdress that attached at the facing. But as my cotton sat neatly folded on a chair and my slippery fabric spilled from whatever surface I tried to rest it on, it became apparent that they would hang too differently and my initial plan would never work.

Having just given the Diplomat Dress a Passport it now seemed appropriate to send it on a Weekend Getaway. Hence my Diplomat slip dress to go underneath... (close your eyes now if you don't want to see me in my underneath dress, but I thought you might be interested in how I did it)

 

I discovered that the larger of my Diplomat dresses could be wriggled into without undoing the zipper, so I cut a dress with the back piece on the fold. Some of the shaping of the dress comes from the front pieces being subtly shaped along the centre line so I left that seam rather than cutting the front on the fold. I thought the centre seam was kind of suitable for the Weekend Getaway anyway.

 

Then I drafted a scooped, sleeveless neckline onto the normal bodice section and created some facings to match. The way the facings and straps are done is taken straight from my recent go at the Pinwheel Dress and it gives a perfect clean finish and yes, I understitched the neckline of my underdress (goody two shoes, huh). Then I unpicked it all (doh!) to take the sides in by about an inch each side and it looks like I could have taken still more. It's light and loose and there's plenty of room for a large dinner so I call that a success as far as undergarments go.

 

Then to the dress itself....

Never have I had less pleasure sewing a fabric. It slipped, it slid, it would not hold a crease, it frayed and if I tried to turn the iron up the silver spots melted off. It was a nightmare to cut out and almost equally unpleasant to sew. But, come Saturday night I had a dress and Flipper snapped a few pictures in the back lane before we headed off to the party.

 

 

I did end up redrafting the pattern and took it in one size for the blouse part and then kept the original size from the blouse hem down. I'm not sure I can notice the difference though. It's still very loose and comfortable but I think my sparkly fabric saves it from looking like a hessian sack.

 

just cause I was so pleased with my earrings matching the fabric!

 

 

While I could not possibly wish this kind of sewing experience on any of you I have to wholeheartedly endorse the Weekend Getaway sewn in something evil and slippery. It is simply the most comfortable dress you can wear. Yet in a fabric like this it doesn't feel like "comfort dressing".  If, like me, you like to eat everything that's offered to you by the food catering service at a party, then I can put my hand on my heart and say this the dress to get you through the night!

 

 

Just forgive me if I don't tackle version 3 for a month or two. I need a good few weeks of sewing cotton to recover from this one.