Friday, January 02, 2015

Sequin Dress Finished (with Photos!)






This is my New Year's Eve gown.  I was rather pleased with how it turned out, especially since I didn't cut it out until about 3pm on the 30th.  It was all done but the hem by about 9:30.

This is good old Vogue 1250 lengthened and with a baby train.  Very similar to a tan knit gown I made and have loved.  This is however, the first time I've worked with a sequined fabric.  Nancy and Sharon found this for me in Santa Fe and insisted that it was 'me'.  It was also a fantastic bargain, and I was an easy sell. 

I think I was very lucky in the construction of the fabric itself, as it's a 2-way stretch knit (widthwise, which is the usual), and I didn't have a lot of trouble with sequins coming loose when I cut the fabric.  A lot of the information I read talked about taping the cut edges, etc., and I was really hoping I wouldn't have to do that.  I did end up doing almost all of the sewing by hand, with a backstitch.  The end result was much more attractive that way.  The way the sequins were applied, they 'lined up', and I could sew between them, and then  pull them out onto the face of the fabric from the allowances where I needed to.  The holes in the sequins were very near one edge, and so if you happened to stitch through one, or close it into the allowance when it really needed to be on the right side, you'd have a fairly large gap.  You can see that the face is not perfectly even, and so a little variation isn't noticeable, but I didn't want 'bald' seams.

One 'exciting' revelation (to me anyway) was how very uncomfortable sitting in such a gown can be.  I think this is a fabric which is made for standing and just looking decorative.  It's also kind of 'noisy' when you walk.  It's not so heavy when you're wearing it, but there's noticeable weight when you handle it, or put it on or take it off.  I would caution others with a similar plan to watch out.  I kept shoving sequins under a fingernail when I was trying it on, and I actually bled.  Very painful, too.

You can't see much of the train, but there isn't much of a train, really.  That's why it's a baby train.  The top photo especially has the skirt in a strange position at the hem.  It really does hang nicely though, and I think you can see it better in the back view.  It reads mostly as a column, which is my kind of thing anyway.  The 'train' is just a little extra fun, swishiness.

I wore this for a New Year's Eve party, and will wear it again Saturday for another.  I'm sure it will be a handy thing to be able to pull out of my wardrobe.  The color, a very dark navy which sometimes seems to aim toward purple and sometimes toward gunmetal, will be appropriate for any number of occasions, I think.


28 comments:

Vicki said...

Fabulous! V1250 is a great pattern, in fact I am wearing one of mine as I type :) Happy New Year!

Shams said...

Wow, you look gorgeous, Liana!!

Towanda said...

You look great. I love this pattern. I'm waiting for a reason to make one with a train.

NancyDaQ said...

You look very elegant, but I'd expect nothing less! Beautiful!

Ann Made Studio said...

You look Stunning!

Anne-Marie said...

Lovely and very chic! As for the comfort, I agree with you sequins are not comfortable. The fabric is scratchy inside and outside. The neck facing must hurt you a little. But the look is so nice! Did you line the dress?

Nancy K said...

You look very glamorous! Great dress, but I laughed when you said how uncomfortable it is to sit in. I have a rtw skirt with a small amount of sequins scattered across it and boy is that skirt uncomfortable to sit in with no where the amount your dress has. Happy New Year!

Liana said...

Thank you everyone! Anne-Marie, I used a matching knit for the back facing. The cowl drape is also the front facing of course, and it doesn't seem to be uncomfortable. I should have faced the sleeves instead of just turning them under, and I could easily go back and do that, but that's the only place where it's a little uncomfortable. Not bad though. I did not line it, and I was very lucky that it's not scratchy or uncomfortable overall. I think the fabric was well thought out for garment use.

Amber said...

You look so beautiful.!

Thanks for sharing your sewing with us via your blog.

Liana said...

Nancy, I'm sure a lot of people know what you know, and what I just found out. Sequins are glam but ouchy. Or, as my Mother used to tell us, "It hurts to be pretty." :)

Linda L said...

Great looking dress! You wear this look and style very well.

Tia Dia said...

Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. Love this in a sequin fabric. Happy New Year to you!

Tee said...

Wow,that's a great gown! You look fabulous! Happy New Year!

Jenny Jo said...

The dress is amazing!! You look fabulous!

Aminat said...

Gorgeous dress..

Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) said...

Absolutely stunning! Now this is what a New Years dress should look like!

Dixie said...

Wow, this is so glamorous, and it looks fabulous on you! I can't even imagine having one event to wear this to, let alone two. Enjoy it!

Anonymous said...

You look really lovely Liana. Nice job.

Terry

Sharon said...

Gorgeous dress, looks perfect on you!

You Really Sew? said...

Liana, so pretty and a beautiful job on the dress. You are going to want to fold this dress in a box for storage. I have a sequin dress that is 15 years old-classic style-and it looks as good today as the day I bought it. Her sister dress hung in the closet?, not so much. The weight of the sequins distorted the fabric and eventually stressed and weakened the seams. I use the acid free tissue to wrap between each fold. Might be overkill but I love the dress and as I don't wear it every year I know it will last forever. Just a suggestion, but this is a dress that can make the rounds of wearers over time. Again, well done.

Karen Harder said...

Lovely dress, Liana! To help with sitting in any garment, you might consider adding ease across the hips. RTW often (sometimes, maybe not) adds a standard amount of ease, but it can vary from less than an inch for a slender person to several inches for a heavier person. I've learned to measure the hips standing up and then sit down, allowing the tape measure to expand. That expansion needs to be added to the girth of the garment in the hip area for comfortable sitting. Hope this helps.

Liana said...

Great idea. I had thought I would probably store it 'flat'. Folded with tissue is a great idea. I hate hanging things that are so embellished, whether it's the fabric itself, or stuff that's been added to it. Thanks for the tips!

Liana said...

Thanks Karen! I have used that measurement method in the past, especially for pencil skirts in non-stretch fabrics. Ask me how I figured that out! Lol. There's actually plenty of esse in this gown, and it's pretty stretchy besides. What's happening, and what surprised me, is that the sequins are apparently standing on edge and poking straight into me. (It may have something to do with the fact that they're almost more like sequin-sized paillettes than sequins in the way they are drilled and attached.) Not all of them, just a short row here or there. If I shift my position, a different row takes over. There seems to be no escape. I was happy to stand. :)

Sewing at the Rock said...

I just discovered this post as I was looking for ideas for my daughter's bridesmaid dresses. We had already selected this pattern, and I was attempting to add some fullness to the lower skirt portion and lengthen it. This is gorgeous! Thank you for sharing this. I hope you do not mind if I link to this post on my newly created blog where I am attempting to chronicle my sewing adventures with my blog.

Liana said...

Hi Ruth,

I'm happy to have you link to this post, and I'd love to read about your adventures in sewing! You might want to take a look at my previous post about this pattern in which I tell about the train and how to add it to this pattern.  Perhaps you've already seen it, but I think it's helpful. Good luck!

Liana

Sewing at the Rock said...

Thanks for sharing the link to your previous post on this pattern. Both gowns are gorgeous. Different fabrics surely change the look! We need to finalize the fabric selection and let the sewing begin! Thanks again for your help. Here is a link to my new blog--only two posts so far, but I look forward to sharing some more very soon.
www.sewingatlittlerock.blogspot.com

staceymayer said...

You look simply regal. I love the color.

staceymayer said...

You look simply regal. I love the color.