Hello wonderful people of Needle Work it’s been a minute. But I’m back with yet again another recreation episode and today I will be sharing with you how I recreated this beautiful mini skirt and A-cut blouse from a trendy design i saw on pintress.
First, i would love to take a minute to acknowledge that this is my 10th episode 🎉and if you followed my first ever episode? You would know that it wasn’t my intention to make it a journey. It started with a small girl who wanted to rant about the pressure people put on seamstresses to recreate designs that was probably photoshopped and wasn’t exactly as it seems in real life.
For me it wasn’t something I wanted to do for a this long but, I thought to myself after I published that ranting piece that the people who created this design are humans like me and maybe my complains were just a fasad of excuses of why I think i can’t be the best.
Looking back at all my 9 episodes and how I went out of my way to raise the standards, I feel so fulfilled . I’m glad I embarked on this journey to become a better seamstress and all this wouldn’t be without you, your support and love. So yeah, a big shout out to the 10th recreation episode and a bigger shout to all the wonderful people of needlework much love🫶. Without wasting much time, let’s get right into it.
In recreating this outfit all I used where:
- An Ankara print fabric approximately 2.5 yard
- Cotton lining
- Gum stay
- A fancy zipper(for the blouse) and a plain one (for the skirt
- Matching thread(s)
- A curve rule (for precision)
- Measurements tape
The measurements I used:
Blouse :
- Full Length
- Shoulder
- Bust
- Under bust
- Waist
- Hip
- Nipple to nipple
- Shoulder to bust point
- Shoulder to under bust
- Under bust to waist line (half length)
Skirt:
- Length
- Round waist
- Round hips
- Waist to hip point
- Hip length
Things I wish I did differently.
Although this dress came out wonderfully and I totally loved it, I am one who strives for perfection and I believe there is always room for improvement. You can always do better than best. so here are some things I wish I had done differently and I think one should consider while recreating such a design.
Interfacing choice : I wished I had used a high quality hay stay instead of a Gum stay to give the fabric a bit of flexibility while ensuring it is as firm as I would want it to. I think the Gum stay made it too stiff.
Zipper installation: I wished I had added the zipper at the front before joining the from piece to the back. I can’t explain much but trust me, it will save you from a whole lot of stress of undoing seams
Padding: I wish I considered padded my bust area to give it that firmness
Neckline: I wish I came down more on the front neckline, personally when the cloth is zipped all the way I feel a bit choked up and if I bend my head down, my chin literally touches the zipper head
Drafting: I wished I used a pattern paper while drafting do I could add a side bust dart and eliminated it from the pattern at once. It isn’t really necessary but particular but I think it would have give the arm whole a bit more flow.
- Measurements: Lastly, I wished I had remeasured myself to know and added more allowance to my bust i don’t realize how much I had grown pass measurements I’ve been using for a while.
So yeah this are not big deals? But as I normally say you can do better than best.
Thank you for reading through. Till next time I still remain you very enthusiastic fashion lover @Gemangel 🌹