Wednesday 21 March 2018

Lisette B6169 Of Sorts...

I had it in my head that I would get to Bendigo to see the Marimekko exhibition and photograph this dress with that awesome gallery backdrop, but I'm not that good a blogger, so you get my dirty, marked wall instead.



Where do we start? With the flower-tits issue? the pattern? the modifications? the fabric?....

Pattern placement issues first, yeah? This super vintage fabric which came in the big haul from my friend's mum was narrow, and was only just enough for the dress so long as I did not consider the print. So I didn't :)

Given that my boobs are not quite so widely placed or lopsided as those flower centres I'm calling the flower-tits issue a non event. It could be better, but it's not as disastrous as it could have been either. (wait 'til you see the back though, I got a bullseye there!)
Moving on....


The pattern: It's the Lisette for Butterick B6169. The one where everybody has made the Moto Jacket and very few have made the dress.

I liked the idea of the longer length although I was unsure about the high/low hemline. I cut a size 14 adding 1" in length at the waistline. The pattern has full length princess style seam lines front and back and the extra length gave me the perfect butt seam lines but the point where the ties attached had to be moved back up by an inch as they were too low to be comfortable.


So what happened to that long skirt and strongly shaped hemline? It got lopped!
Here's the phone photo of the dress when I first made it and just wasn't feeling the love:


My grumpy feelings towards the dress at that point may also have been to do with the neck binding. The pattern had me cut a wide bias strip, fold it in half lengthwise, attach the raw edges to the neckline then turn the folded edge to the inside to make a facing.

For some reason this fabric has NO stretch on the bias. It just warped and twisted but gave nothing in terms of smooth length. The fabric has a strange, almost seersucker kind of texture. I guess there is something about the weave that renders it completely immune to bias stretch. Of course I had trimmed my neckline seam allowance to almost nothing before I discovered that. I took the bias facing off and tried the same technique with a navy cotton bias facing. I still couldn't get enough stretch for a smooth, unpuckered neckline. To avoid another unpicking session I simply cut that bias down to half the width and managed to get a narrow bias facing to work adequately.

Interestingly, I saw a version of this pattern made up in a lovely linen at The Cloth Shop and it looked fantastic - but I did note that the neckline had been finished with the bias wrapping around the neck as a bias edge finish rather than a turned under facing. Do your own thing may be the final advice on that point.


It's barely noticeable but my lopped hemline does still have a very slight curve across the front and a fractionally lower back hem. It's a subtle nod to the original pattern, but as much as I could handle when it came to an uneven hem. I guess it's not my thing after all.

Those nice seam lines on the front neatly hide some inseam pockets. Go to love pockets!


The yoke and the gathers remind me of the Chai Tee and I think this dress made up in a knit and fitted would be awesome. I imagine it could be cut as is and then just pin those back seam lines to get a nice, snug fit through the back.

As it is, there is lots of room in the back and so the ties are a necessity to stop it billowing out behind. But in a woven fabric (with no give at all remember!) that's essential to allow ease of movement.


The only other modification I made was due to fabric limitations, and a tip from Sewing Pattern Review: The ties are meant to be double layered, sewn right sides together then turned out. The reviews suggested that in any fabric other than a very light weight one, the ties would end up a bit stiff and unwieldy. I had limited fabric anyway, and with that warning in mind I made them single layer and just did a narrow hem all around the edges.

While I usually shy away from prints I really like the Marimekko vibe of these big flowers and the simple colour scheme. The dress has turned out to be perfectly comfortable and I'm certainly planning on packing it for our end of summer beach holiday in April.

I just have to remember to never wear it to a deer or rabbit farm lest I startle all the animals with my turned up white tail!


Details: 
Pattern: Lisette B6169
Size: 14
Fabric: Vintage mystery stuff from @topbikephysio's mum
Modifications: 1" torso length, single thickness ties, lopped about 8-10 inches off the hem, narrower neck facing

18 comments:

  1. I really like this dress, Shelley. The fabric is great - and though it's a bold print something about the colors makes it feel quite subtle. I wouldn't have given that dress a second look based on the pattern photo and illustration but seeing it on you, I really like it. The back yoke gives a whiff of Ice Cream Dress. Nicely done!

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    1. THanks Masha. It is quite Ice Cream Dress isn't it. I hadn't seen that until you pointed it out. In any other colour I would have run screaming from this fabric, but I do like a nice blue.

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  2. I love that length. I bought the pattern when it came out with the intention of making the dress. I'm short, and haven't gotten around to it because the tissue length is long on me. Just this morning I was thinking about pairing this pattern with some rayon I have. I think I'll try it, thanks for the review!

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    1. Rayon would be great Susan. I hope it works for you as it is a nice pattern in so many ways

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  3. Enjoyed reading your post. Consider making that hi/low hem again, just make it longer, so that it hits your calf lower. I think it was too short, and hit at the wrong spot. I would have chopped it off too! I am a fan of Liesl's patterns too.

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    1. THanks. I wonder if longer would work... thanks for the idea. It hits the same spot on the model sketch as it dose me, but then she has some crazy long sketched upper legs with half her body height between knee and hip! (fashion illustratinos are so oddly proportioned!)

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  4. I didn't/wouldn't like the curved back hemline of this dress either. You made a wise decision cutting it. Making the dress in a knit sounds like a good idea.

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    1. Thank you! I think it would work really well in a lightweight knit with more shaping and no belt.

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  5. Bunny rabbit tail and all I think this dress is fantastic and much more wearable with the sightly shaped hem than then definite high/low. Don't be too hard on yourself with pattern placement, you only have to check out some RTW walking the streets to get some real good examples.

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    1. THanks Sharon. I'm going with the approach of what I can't see doesn't bother me. If I'd landed that flower on the lower front then it would have been a bin job!

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  6. Great fix! I agree about the billowiness of the back and ease. I need to repair mine because the weight of the ties tore a hole where they are attached. I should've interfaced but didnt remember reading it.

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    1. No, I don't think there was a note to interface. That would be a very sound idea though. Hope yours is repairable.

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  7. This looks great! I actually tried this pattern a couple years ago, and the long length was so restricting, I couldn't even walk in it! And the neckline finish was super bulky with the double layered yoke plus double layered binding. I cut it off to tunic length and still never wore it ... ugh, well, you can't win them all! You've redeemed this pattern somewhat in my eyes, though!

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    1. I think the double layered binding is a definite mistake. I'm sure the neckline could be done without any binding, using the lining for a clean finish, or at most a single layer bias facing. I walked up and down the hallway a few times and found it worked ok for me when walking. A sprint to catch a bus might be a different matter...

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  8. I have HAVE made the moto jacket, which was gorgeous but the dress didn't do it for me. However, I really really like this on you.
    I do have a need for a simple striped dress, I am definitely looking at the with new eyes.

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    1. There's some subtle shaping in those seams so it could be a beast if you're keen to match your stripes. In a knit with a narrow stripe I'd just go for it and not bother with trying to stripe match. That would be a great summer dress - if only summer wasn't over... ;)

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  9. I agree; I have never liked the high/low hem but this length (and hem line) is perfect. And please, get that photo at the art gallery; it would be perfect!

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    1. It would be a fun photo wouldn't it. I think I would achieve perfect pattern camouflage and a really striking colour standout!

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