Vintage Simplicity 5034

One dress down, four more to go. I did have a head start on this dress though. I'm extremely happy with how this dress turned out and I just love the Liberty fabric!

Just to remind you of the pattern this is the envelop and the description of the design: "Simplicity 5034; ca. early 1960s; Misses' Wrap-Around Dress in Two Lengths: Dress laps at the back forming V-shaped neckline. Front neckline is rounded and slightly lowered. Bodice is fitted. At waistline, tie ends are sewn to back opening edges and tie in a bow at front. Inverted pleats conceal side pockets. "

The pattern has some lovely details which I think make it extra special, unfortunately they do get a little lost in this fabric. The skirt is formed with a series of pleats, some over others, to create this lovely soft pleated look. I think it is a particularly wearable skirt style, not too full and not slim, just perfect!

There are also pockets, which are created with a butterfly-like pattern piece that was stitched to the middle of one of the skirt panels, not the side seam. They actually sit a little further back from the side of the dress, which I guess helps prevent the pockets creating extra bulk to the hip area. Then a couple more pleats hide the pocket.

The back wrap sits quite nicely and only gapes if I stand with over-corrected posture, which I guess I'll try not to do.

Modifications I made to the pattern:

• slightly lowered the centre of the front neck. It makes me feel too constrained when a neckline sits above my collarbone
• shortened the dress by quite a few inches
• reduced the bust darts slightly and graded up the waist for fitting purposes
• I used a contrast fabric for the waist tie. I really think this fabric needed to be broken up a bit and if you've been reading my blog for a while, you know I'm a bit of a fan or contrast waist detail, just to try to create a waist where no waist exists. The sash was made with cotton sateen, which I found at Lincraft, but only after trawling through all the ribbon and fabric at Spotlight and Tessuti first. I think I would have preferred a grosgrain ribbon tie, but this is nice.
• I top stitched the whole bodice as I did have a bit of trouble with the facings popping out, even after under stitching. I'm happy to do this though, as it isn't terribly noticeable and it does provide a little extra wearing security in relation to the facings. I think next time I make this I'll fully line the bodice.
• I also modified the sleeves. The pattern includes quite long and fitted sleeves, which were impractical, so I slashed the sleeves of my muslin and re-cut the pattern to accommodate the extra ease. I had a few problems easing in the sleeves. I ran two rows of gathering and tried twice, but still ended up with a slightly gathered sleeve cap. I thought I was a bit of an expert at setting in sleeves, especially after all the Tova dresses I've been making, but this one got me. It looks nice though and they are even, so they now are gathered cap sleeves.

The fabric is Liberty tana lawn called Tatum and it was delightful to sew with. I really adore this dress and aim for make at least one other for summer. The only thing I need to do is learn how to tie a nice bow for the front ties. I tried at least 20 times before taking these photos - any tips??

Happy sewing!