velosews

Minerva projects – ta dah

From Melbourne Cup day to Australia Day, it’s the ‘silly season.’ So my kit includes the first piece of my new summer ensemble and a great party dress. Yes. I made 2 items this month.

 

First up – the Party dress:
In the lead up to December, there are always get togethers before Christmas. I chose Vogue 8827 as my party season dress – the dream dress I mentioned last week. My original Minerva Crafts fabric choice went fast so I checked with Vicki on my next print choice and she thought this would be a great combination. This dress kit includes the ribbon for the tie used in this pattern dress.

The reviews of Vogue 8827 indicated the dress is big. Voluminous. Oversized. And I’m short so, in short, I had to test it. After making the 6 size as a top I got a very good idea on how the collar size would drown me to gnome size. But as a top, it gave me a good idea that this style would work with modifications.

My pattern drafting tutor agreed on how the collar could be sized down. But I wanted to keep the folds because the collar gives it a bit of 80s style. Almost ‘Dynasty’ like.
Oh the fabric. It’s colour fast, irons nicely, holds its shape well and doesn’t show creases. A great poplin print and its 112cm wide. And its colour was true to the photo on the Minerva website. Minerva Crafts does a great job representing the true colours on their website and on their ebay store. I did the ‘happy dance’ when my fabric arrived. This is a great print and the colours are great for summer and for parties. 

The dress itself has a smaller collar. The collar pieces are wide and large. I cut the collar pieces right back and straightened the collar width, so it still has beautiful folds.I love those folds. As this is a cotton woven, there’s no interfacing needed in the collar. This fabric has the right balance to hold its shape but folds over beautifully.

I’ve tamed the back gathers with an inverted pleat at the back yolk. After wearing my dream dress out to dinner, I stitched the inverted pleat at the waist too, so that it stays put. The pattern has a ribbon tie on the inside of the dress. I’ve also added two snaps – one at the waist and the other above the knee so the dress doesn’t fly open when the wind picks up. Safety first!
Everyone loves this dress, and I’ve worn it a few times already. I love it too.Thank you Vicki for helping me make this simple dress a stylish party dress.
Caught buying a late night gelato…Mmmm. 

Summer work trousers:
Most of my work clothes are corporate grey, black and blue – safe but yawn. Summer in Sydney is vibrant so I chose a linen-look purple fabric from Minerva. Purple is my favourite colour.

When I wore this outfit to work, everyone noticed the difference and smiled or commented. And we had some very hot Summer days in Spring so I know this fabric is going to be great when Summer really heats up. The blouse was made earlier this year. The trousers are McCalls 5397.

This fabric washes well, holds its colour and irons nicely. I love this colour and want to keep it that way. It’s cotton although it’s a linen look weave and is 145cm wide. Love wide fabric!

The photo below should look slimmer because it is. I tapered in the side seams and inner seams by 1cm because the first pics looked baggy.

My usual trouser adjustments are: the front rise is shortened at the centre front by 3cm and tapered to 0 at the side seam; the back crotch is deepened; and the inside thigh is extended.
Confession: I did move the zip from the centre back to the centre front, added a fly front with shield, and added a waistband and belt loops. I used the easy fly zip tutorial on Threads online by Sandra Betzina, to relearn how to sew in a fly front zipper.
After inserting fly zippers at least 3 times during testing, I was able to insert this zipper in less than 30 minutes with no stress. That’s equal to one episode of ‘Friends’. This eyelet blouse was also made earlier this year.
If you’re feeling the heat of summer and want to brighten up your wardrobe, hop over to Minerva Crafts and grab a kit before the summer heat gets to you.  

Order a bit extra of the linen look fabric for an office jacket. That’s what I did. I’ll show you my jacket in December. I still wear a jacket in the office in summer, because the aircon in Sydney is always chilly.

13 comments

  3. The dress has worked out beautifully – I'm glad you tested the pattern and told us how you modified it – I think a few of us (well, certainly I do) want to make this dress. I think the pleat is a good idea – gathers do tend to pouch out. The pants are fantastic – I'm thinking of making some work pants, and the cotton actually looks nice and not too casual. Purple is one of those colours that can be worn smartly, as you have demonstrated nicely 🙂

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  6. Nice! Love the colours on you and the print is very pretty. The pants are awesome too. You did say you were 'going purple' 😉

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  12. The dress is great – it's interesting to see the giant collar in a totally different fabric. And the fabric is beautiful.
    The fit on your trousers looks excellent.

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