A Perfect Wrap* Dress & a Not So Perfect Photo Shoot (Simplicity 1653 review)

Do you hate taking garment photos as much as I do? It took me 30 minutes to get this underexposed pixilated shot, all the while dreading the awkwardness of having to explain to our new neighbors why I was preening and fake laughing in a shared hallway.

Yesterday, I finished a happy dress. A dress that hugs, but doesn't squeeze. A dress that drapes but doesn't gape.

A dress that makes you want to touch your hair for no actual reason.

Today I tried to photograph it, and my happiness turned to ANGRY TEARS.

Our new apartment faces an alley. So even squeezing myself against the window on my tip-toes at the brightest part of the day, I can't get enough natural light to take a proper indoor picture. So I covered my flash with some white interfacing to soften it, with mediocre results.

Also, my old Canon Rebel XSI hates me and refuses to autofocus in self-timer mode.

Also, I have covered every wall of our apartment with bright paint, cartoons, and sci-fi art, leaving no neutral backdrops to be found.

I extended the self-fabric belt around the back for more waist-hugging points (as recommended by the Slapdash Sewist in her review).

But I digress. You're here to make yourself an amazing happy dress, not to pity my photographic incompetence.

The Inspiration

Diane von Furstenberg-style wrap dresses—a cornerstone of my Personal Style Uniform #1: "The Dress That Always Fits."

Amy Adams rocks a green DVF wrap in American Hustle.

The details:

Pattern: Simplicity 1653 Amazing Fit mock wrap dress, picked up for free at a Brooklyn Sewing Club pattern swap.

I stand in awe of this woman's ability to stand in such shoes. I can barely handle kitten heels for a few hours.

Fabric: $6/yard ITY jersey from Spandex House (where else?)

Notions: foldover elastic (to bind the neckline and crossover for a snug, no-gape effect), 1/4" Steam-A-Seam Lite (to hem the sleeves and bottom).

Sizing: This is one of those heavenly patterns with multiple cup sizes in the package. I made the size 12 with a D cup bodice and the "Slim" skirt based on the stretchiness of the fabric, my love of negative ease and my hatred of gaping loose necklines. (By my actual body measurements, I would have made the 16. Also, I may not be actually "Slim" but I have narrow hips in relation to my frame).

Modifications

I bound the neckline with tightly stretched foldover elastic (FOE) instead of just folding over and stitching, which would have been a sure recipe for gape disaster.

100% gape-free neckline. You can do this.

I'm not sure FOE is the best elastic for this, but it's what I had lying around. I serged and stretched it, then folded it over and topstitched with a zig-zag. Here's the underside—kind of hard to see, as the FOE is gray.

Even my FOE wasn't quite snug enough at the back neck—I ended up making a giant (4") dart in the center back to make it lie flat. (Husband helped me pin out the bubble, since I couldn't reach).

I also found the order of construction in the pattern baffling. So I came up with my own:

Good thing I wrote this down, since I started this dress in May... and didn't get back to it until December

I extended the self-fabric waist belt around the back for extra waist-hugging points as recommended by the Slapdash Sewist in her review.

Construction Notes

• I used my sewing machine to baste, top-stitch and sew darts, and my serger to sew the final seams.
• I basted the sides and back to check fit as instructed (it is an "Amazing Fit" pattern, after all). It felt like Too Much Work at the time but I'm glad I did—it was just a smidge tight, so I went with 5/8" side seams instead of the 1" built in.

Wear for...

Work...

Why yes, this is a perfect hallway in which to have a pretend phone conversation.

...Date Night...

My knitting is NOT going to fit in this vintage purse.

...And occasions on which you randomly jump up and down in hopes of getting a funny photo...

I do not advise doing this in heels. Luckily my ankles are still intact.

In sum: make this dress for yourself!

If wrap necklines are your thing, please go make yourselves this perfect knit happy dress right now. It has a great flexible fit system and fun details: raglan sleeves! a self-fabric belt! cool waist pleating!

Plus it's as adjustable as a wrap—minus the risk of your skirt blowing open in the middle of a crowded city crosswalk (ask me how I know).

Bonus photo: Z helps me with some pinning!

*Mock wrap, actually.

Finished: a vacation Miette to get my mojo back (Tilly & the Buttons Miette wrap skirt)

Two bows are better than one! (Also: I will pay no attention to those pesky press-resistant hem puckers: all that matters is I made a pretty skirt. With comfy pockets. That I can wear!)

So I just went to Austin on vacation with my family, and when I arrived at the vacation rental apartment, there was this little surprise, in the corner:

When I told my Austin-based friend Susan (of Moon Thirty fame), she basically ORDERED me to make something—because clearly this was a sign, and how could I NOT sew something on my Austin vacation? We conferenced quickly via text message to decide on pattern, fabric and thread. (After I checked with the owner that it would be OK to use, of course!)

I had been wanting to make Tilly's Miette wrap skirt for ages, and it seemed like a perfect vacation project—minimal fitting, no zippers, no darts, just fabric. And I really needed some solid color skirts to balance all my loud printed tops.

Susan is NOT a solid fabric kind of person (she is a woman of stripes and bold patterns after my own heart) but she did manage to extract a few plain unsewn twills from her stash, and I chose a pale blue rayon/cotton blend one because it had the best drape and feel.

I bought the pattern, and Susan brought me the printout, scissors, tape, thread and fabric. I was in vacation sewing business! I of course immediately Instagrammed my joy:

It was challenging fun to use an unfamiliar machine, use the floor for a cutting surface, and give up my perfectionist tendencies to get the project done quickly so it wouldn't interfere with any of our family vacation plans, like swimming in Barton Springs Pool or making homemade tamales.

Alas, we were only in that vacation rental for a few nights, so I had to finish the hem and waist bits when I got back home yesterday—but I was still technically on vacation, so it's still my vacation skirt. AND my sewing machine seems to be working happily again, though I had to move it into my bedroom so I can use it at night without waking the little girl.

The basics

Pattern: Tilly and the Buttons Miette wrap skirt, the version with pockets

Fabric: A bit less than three yards of pale blue cotton/rayon twill blend from a friend's stash. It is soft and has a lovely weight and drape, but I must admit I came to loathe it during sewing and pressing, as it was very fussy and did not cooperate with the scissors, machine or iron and frayed like a really frayable thing. All my best efforts were for naught—despite lots of hand basting and unpicking, there are still puckers all around the hem and pocket edges—is this a twill issue? It is soft and lovely to wear, however.

Notions: Just some black thread and interfacing.

Size: I made the size 4, sized for a 30-inch waist and 39 inch hips—both just slightly bigger than my actual measurements. I ended up taking it it in about 5 inches total at the hips but left the waist alone.

Instructions: Tilly has detailed photo tutorials on her website, but I just used her excellent short-form written instructions from the PDF. I loved that each step had a little checkbox to tick off, giving me a serene sense of accomplishment.

Alterations: In my final try-on, realized that the hips of the skirt were way curvier than mine own at the sides. I pinned out a half inch at the high hip (for a two inch total reduction) and 1.25" at the full hip (for a 5" total reduction) and it seemed to do the trick:

Construction notes: I didn't do all the seam-trimming and finishing I normally would—I left most of the seam allowances their full size, and just pinked them to stop the massive fraying.

Love that no-grap wrap back view!

Successes: I actually sewed something I can wear for the first time since last summer. I was tempted to hedge and call it a wearable muslin, but it is wearable. Period.

Lessons learned:

• Beware of wobbly topstitching in a dark contrasting color.
• If you try ten times to tie a proper pretty waist bow and fail, ask the internet and you will find a gazillion helpful tutorials (I finally got it with this one).

Will I make it again? Absolutely, though I will choose my fabric more carefully next time—maybe a light denim or other solid color bright woven will do the trick.

Wear to: Work, home, weekend, mommy stuff, whatever. Adjustable skirts are the best (especially if you plan to make/eat lots of homemade tamales, yum).

Mmmm... relaxing pockets!

P.S. Please follow/like my Polka Dot Overload page on Facebook if you want to see any in-between or behind-the-scenes photos as I go along...