Finally Finished V8974 - In Red Waffle

I have finally defeated the v8974 pattern by Vogue. I'm not gonna say what I nicknamed this dress but it starts with "B" and ends in "itch". I made my first toile a little while ago and that one was huge, so I sized down the pattern and well it was still too bloody big. Now it could be my fault I used the last of my red waffle from FCfabricstudios. Now its not an overly stretchy fabric but it does have a certain "bounce?" shall we say?

Anyway long story short I took a grand total of four inches out of the back and now it fits exactly like it should! #winning.

But the reason I persevered is because that bodice is the bomb diggity. I love the v neckline, the centre front seam and the those slanted darts are so beautiful. But as I said its a [Insert naughty word] to fit.

So details!

- I swapped out their Aline skirt for a circle skirt, I liked the a-line on everyone else but on me it just looked meh.

-I added a centre back seam because I hate side zips, and thank god I did because otherwise I have no idea how I would of made it fit me!

- Took loads of length off the straps. In fact the straps are meant to be inserted in between the bodice and the facing but mine are just stitched to the inside because I had to alter them so many times.

- Went down to a size 12. My first toile was in a 14 and it was too big so I sized down. I'm going to make this again in a 12 and see if I still have the same issues. If I don't I'll size down again to a 10.

Fabric wise I've already said I used this red waffle from FCfabricstudios. I love this fabric so much it just looks expensive! In fact I like it so much this dress is now the main contender for the wedding I;m going to in September.

The zip was from one of the £1 grab bags from abakhans. Its sewn in pretty well but would benefit from a good press.

I hemmed the whole thing by hand after letting it hang for a week. And then I celebrated finally finishing ti with a big ol glass of wine.  

All in all I love it. It was definitely a challenge for me. Whilst the construction wasn't too difficult the fitting was an absolute brute and made me want to sob hysterically on more than one occasion. Anyway if you want to have your own fitting nightmare and possible crying fit you can find the pattern here for £15.00.

In other news:

- I've got a new iron! My old one just decided not to turn on one day so I went out and brought another. I'm actually pretty pleased because I HATED that iron and it stupid non stick plate that stuck to bloody everything! So YAY!

Much Love

Frankie 

xxx