Dress for Ireland Part 2 - sizing and fabric

7:02 PM AirplaneFoodCritic 0 Comments

Mock up of size 14 in muslin

Now that I settled on a pattern, I need to figure out what size I need so I know how much fabric I need. I also need to choose a fabric. I was thinking about a nice neutral color like black or grey when the idea of a houndstooth popped into my head. Plaid also crossed my mind but since I am not quite a seasoned dressmaker yet I thought that matching up plaid lines would be a bit beyond my ability (or beyond what I am willing to do) at this point.

The pattern I am using

When you are buying a pattern be sure to check what size range you are buying. Patterns will come in a range of sizes in one packet but are often split into two size ranges. As you will recall, I am using a McCall's pattern M7478.  On the flap of the pattern envelope you will find the size chart. When I go shopping for clothes I am a size 10 so I figured I would buy the pattern packet that was size range of 6-14 since 10 fell right about in the middle there but thank goodness I bothered to look at the sizing on the packet. A size 10, according to McCall's has a freaking 25 inch waist!!

If you look waaay at the top there you can see a size 10 has a 25 inch waist.

I work with tiny waisted 18 year olds at the college and even THEY do not have a 25 inch waist. So I measured myself and found that I am closer to a size 18 according to McCall's. This made me nervous because 18 is very, very different from 10. So I decided to make a quick dress out of muslin to see how it would fit me. I could have taken the pattern out and measured the various parts then summed them up and done some math and somehow ended up with knowing what the exact pattern size would be that would fit me but I didn't want to do all that and end up wrong due to an error somewhere in my measurements so I chose to instead buy some super cheap fabric called muslin and make a size 14 to see how it fit me. I am very glad I did because it did not fit me!

The muslin result of size 14 that I found did not fit me at all.

I bought the $2/yd muslin and cut out only the main parts of the outside of the coat. I stitched them together (terribly at that) to get a general idea of how it would fit. I didn't cut out the pattern to the size 14 but rather cut out the pattern to the largest possible and then chalked in the size 14 onto the muslin and cut that out. This way I would have the whole pattern intact to use at whatever size I ended up needing. I hope that made sense.

Patterns usually come with many sizes on one sheet as shown here with all those lines.

As you can see in the photo above, you can choose what size you would like to use on the pattern by cutting fabric out along a specific line. I did not want to cut the pattern too small so I preserved the entire pattern by using a transfer paper to mark where to cut.

This is a drawing of how to use transfer paper when plotting out fabric from a pattern.

After I put on the muslin dress I found that the measurements on the flap of the package were correct and I am, in fact, a size 16-18. The places I looked to see where the dress fit or didn't fit were the location of my natural waist, the apex of my bust and the location of the shoulder seams on my shoulder.  I didn't make sleeves in my muslin dress but I did measure them and found them to fit just fine in any size. I decided to use a size 18 to be on the safe side since I hope to wear this as a jacket over clothing. I figure I can always take it in and I will likely gain weight in the future. Hey, I am just being realistic! I would rather make a dress too big and take it in so I can later take it out if necessary than make a dress too small and have to toss it or give it away to a smaller friend.

OK, so with the pattern all figured out I now have to choose a fabric. I went to the local chain place and headed right to the suit wools. It is a jacket pattern but I am hoping to make it a sort of hybrid light jacket/heavy dress. A soft, light-weight wool sounds perfect to affect what I am looking for. I was thrilled to find a houndstooth in that section but it was a smaller pattern than I was imagining. Walking around the store I also found a couple black fabrics with a small pattern that I found interesting. Never neglect the home furnishing and upholstery section of your fabric store. I found a much brighter version of a houndstooth in this section.

A fabric I considered but it is very thick and would be heavy to travel with

Another fabric I considered but thought it would look dirty easily.

I liked the fabric that I found in the upholstery section of the store very much but the stiffness of it bothered me a lot. I want a flowy swingy dress. This fabric was a bit thicker and stiffer than I was looking for. I ended up buying a tiny strip of it for $2 to take home and wash to see if I could soften it up.

The wool houndstooth I first saw. Perfect weight and feel but the pattern is so small.

Here is the houndstooth I took home in hopes I could soften it in the wash.

I took the fabric home and washed the hell out of it in an attempt to soften it up because it has the look I am going for, just not the feel. It did soften up but not enough for what I wanted. It is difficult to have a specific look in your head because it is so hard to match up what you have to work with or what is available in real life with what the standards you created in your head! I really, really wanted this fabric to work but I wasn't totally satisfied so I headed into San Francisco. I grabbed my bff and the bf and we went to Discount Fabrics in the Design District. I love this place. It is a massive warehouse full of bolts and bolts of all sorts of fabric. The local place I was at before is so much smaller and their inventory is mostly seasonal. The season is Spring and I am looking for a warm wool so my chances are lessened.

Discount Fabrics was super fun. We went straight to the suit wool section and grabbed a few bolts that were ok. We spent 2 hours in there. After going through the whole store, we took the 4 or 5 bolts we liked the most and examined them. What we like to do is find a spot in the store where we can drape the fabric on something then take a long step back and really look at it. After doing that I decided I didn't like any of the fabrics enough to buy. I gave up. I was really bummed that I couldn't find the perfect fabric. I figured the houndstooth that I have to wash would be the best choice. We were standing by the checkout counter because of course we all found fabric we liked for other projects. The bf looked at the discount bin and said "What about this one?"

It was like angels sang Hallelujah! It was beautiful and perfect. I was cuckoo over it right away. We grabbed the bolt and I checked the pattern to see how much of it I needed to make the dress. This info is on the pattern envelope.

To make a size 18 coat, the pattern requires about 6 or 7 yards according to the back of the packet.

It says I needed 5.25 yards of fabric since it was on a 60 inch roll. I was hoping to make the dress longer so I want to add a yard to what it suggests. There was.....4 yards on the roll. My heart sank. Nooooooooo! It is too perfect! It can not be!! We separated and started to scour the store along with the employee we know is better than anyone at finding fabric, Augustine. The bf came to the rescue again when he found a second bolt hiding in the discount bins. Once again, I heard angels sing. It was meant to be. The cosmos were looking out for me and this damn dress. How much was on this bolt? Surely three yards. Nope. One. I bought it anyways. We WERE going to make this work with only 5 yards.

The fabric I chose is a unique check-plaid sort of pattern and a loose weave.

Now I had the much easier job of buying the silky lining. I knew I wanted a striking contrast color and I knew I wanted to to be super soft since this is what would be against my skin. I looked at some bright reds but settled on a nice burgundy.

A lining I considered but didn't choose because it was not soft enough.

Another lining I considered but thought it was a little too flashy.

The lining I ended up choosing is super soft, silky and a deep rich burgundy that will contrast nicely with the main fabric.

The pattern called for an interlining as well since it is a jacket. Interlining is meant to add a layer of warmth to the garment. I want that layer of warmth but I also want the dress to be flowy so instead of a flannel which I considered briefly, I went with a medium weight, soft muslin. This saved me some money, added a little weight and warmth and kept the dress light enough to swing around when I walk. To save money I did think about getting some cheap bed sheets and using that but Joann Fabrics was having a sale so it was worth it to use a fabric with less of a stretch.

In the next blog I will let you know if I ended up with enough fabric to make the dress or if I had to give up the pretty fabric that sang to me.