Cashmerette Appleton Dress in Review

Although technically I started this dress in December, I'm calling this my first make of 2016 since I finished, photographed, and blogged it today.

Overall, I like my finished dress and it's a great pattern. But ... there are a couple of things I changed during construction and a couple more I hope to change for a next version. The main thing is I'm not sure how I feel about the boobaliciousness on display with the ties riding up right under my bra. The ties are just sitting too high for my preference. I'm pointing the finger at me on this one, though. Meaning, it's due to my belly growing over the last couple of years from indulging in too many goodies and not enough sit-ups coupled with the body changes that creep up with age and so the ties just ride up even though they actually start in the right place to hit my true waist. I'm thinking maybe I'll add some belt holders but until then, I will likely wear this dress with a light gray cardi to camouflage the belly in profile view, at least until I get on with those sit-ups (don't hold your breath on that one). From the front, which is how you're seeing me in these pics, it looks fine. Great, even. :-) As a comparison to the Muse Gillian wrap dress, I prefer the Gillian's sewn in waistband for keeping both the ties and my waist in check.

I do L.O.V.E. the color and the dots, and the fabric is a nice ITY that drapes and swishes just right. I can't remember if it came from Fabric.com or Fabricmart but it was last year (I mean more than just yesterday), so I'm sure it's gone from wherever. It was a good match for this pattern.

So, onto the changes I made and what I'll do next time ...

First, simple, but I fused the opening ... er ... open with Steam-a-Seam. The fabric is slippery and I knew the "flaps" would probably work their way through the hole and look weird.

Next, I interfaced the ties. Not any of the neckline pieces, just the ties. You can see how they are attached separately onto the neckline pieces below. I prefer my waist ties to have some body so they don't collapse into themselves and get lost in the fluff that is my waist. If I had actually tested this pattern, I would've suggested adding the interfacing at least as an option.

Something I will change for next time is to move the shoulder seam backward. I do not have forward shoulders at all, just the opposite in fact, so the shoulder seams are riding a bit forward on me. (I don't know if this pattern is drafted for a more forward shoulder. Jenny?) This will be a fiddly pattern alteration, though, because there are a lot of pieces coming together here and the nice no-gape neckline is achieved by having these pieces fit together in a certain way. Alternatively, I may just make an erect back alteration to the back piece, which would be easier. I'm still evaluating the finished dress in my mirror.

The other thing I'll change for next time is to lengthen the ties about 12 inches. I want to be able to tie a bow and have the tie ends hang lower than they do at this length. Plus, I would make them different lengths so they are the same finished length when tied. Below, I've made a loop with just the longer side. There's not enough tie to make an adult bow vs. a little girl bow on the hip. This is an easy enough change once I do the math to figure out which tie needs to be longer than the other.

Here you can see the "structure" adding the interfacing gives the ties when going around the back. And you can see the deep hem. I thought the pattern wasn't going to be long enough and added a total of about 4 inches by spreading 1 inch in the middle and adding the rest at the hem edge. Yeah, that was overkill. I ended up making a 1.5 inch double-fold hem. But I do like the added weight of this hem so I'd probably do it again.

As for the pattern itself, I was using the paper version provided to me for free by Jenny (with no strings attached and if you know my blog, you know I tell it like it is). It's nicely drafted and comes with a lovely and comprehensive instruction book. From the instructions, I found it to be very straightforward figuring out what size vs. bust cup to choose. For the record, I used the E/F cup piece and cut a 20 at neckline/shoulders/waist and then morphed out to 24 for the hips (tummy in my case) on the front piece only. The fit is good through the shoulders, but I think the 18 up top might be even better. I went big due to the abundant negative ease in the bust as a "just in case." But in any case, no linebacker shoulders drafted here.

It's more than roomy enough around the hips/butt/belly and since the fronts wrap almost to the sideseam at each side, I don't have any fear of the wrap flying open and exposing anything better left covered. Beginners may find assembling the neckline pieces a bit tricky, but soldier on ... it works.

I can see why this pattern has been popular from its release. It's a pretty dress, flattering to and designed for curves. So nice to pretty much just cut, sew, wear.

A couple more gratuitous shots ...