Skip to main content

Kwik Sew 3703 - (unsuccessful) Green Tank Dress

I like tops and dresses with a racer back, but I don't have any. Recently I picked up both Simplicity 2443 and Kwik Sew 3703 to change that. The Kwik Sew looked about as complicated as a T-shirt, so I started with that one.

I'm pretty sure that this is a good pattern and the fact that it turned out badly is all my doing. The main problem is all the puckering and puffiness around the neck and armholes.

Kwik Sew 3703 - front view

I may have not quartered the holes and bands properly (which is embarrassing - how hard is that, really?) resulting in needing to stretch the bands too much in some spots. And I think I probably sewed the neckband and armhole bands on in opposite directions, giving the shoulder straps a bit of a twist. I did press the seams after I stitched them, but they really would prefer to stay puffy.

Kwik Sew 3703 - rear view

Thankfully, I set out intending for this to be a test garment. I'm considering making View B of the pattern with this navy striped fabric and a solid navy for the contrast pieces, but I wanted to test it out first. I thought that if it was wearable, I'd use it as a swimsuit cover-up. So that's why it's hemmed so short.


The fabric feels and sews great. I have a huge piece of it, bought on clearance somewhere sometime. The drab green color doesn't exactly call out "swimsuit cover-up!" to me, but it could have worked.

Kwik Sew 3703 - Racer back

Above you can see the racer back better as well as the puffy shoulder in the foreground. The back is nice. The shoulder? Not so much.

So, I'll use this pattern again, but I'll cut the bands a smidge longer and I'll probably baste them into place before I serge them on, paying attention to the direction I'm sewing.

And this version won't be sticking around here. I suppose I could use it for a nightgown. If I wore nightgowns. Which I don't. But, if I did, this one would be great in this current heat we're getting!

Labels

Labels:

Comments

  1. Ann's Fashion StudioJuly 22, 2011 at 7:13 AM

    I love this style dress. It looks great on you.
    I haven't made one of these yet but
    I did buy some very simialr dresses in this style at "Wal Mart" :)) and that is what I've been wearing around the house ~ to help keep cool in this heat. They are very comfortable.
    I think either one of the patterns you chose would look great made up in the striped fabic.

    ReplyDelete
  2. MushyWearJuly 22, 2011 at 5:16 PM

    This is definitely a flattering style on you. Bummer the puckering happened, but it sounds like you will have a winner the next time around with your changes. I like the Kwik Sew pattern, it has given me an idea how I can change up my racerback dress pattern. I like the band at the bottom in view B.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Burda Skirt Again

I'm not sure what prompted it, but awhile ago I decided that I needed a green skirt. The last time I was at Fabricland I saw this green wide-wale corduroy. I wasn't really looking for the skirt to be corduroy and the color was a little different than I was hoping for, but since I had my eyes peeled for awhile and hadn't seen anything better, I thought I'd try the corduroy. After looking for a suitable pattern, I settled on the Burda 2/2010 skirt that I've already used three times . Because of the weight and bulk of the corduroy, I didn't want to try to mess with too many details. I'll use another skirt pattern soon. Really, I will. One of the things I really like about this pattern is the pockets. This time I made the pocket facings and part of the pocket bag out of a cotton woven solid to reduce bulk. Since I'll be wearing this skirt with tights I added a lining. Adding the lining was really simple except that I cut the lining exactly the sam...
14 comments
Read more

Simplicity 2508 - Orange Coat

I have more fabric than will fit in my fabric closet. It seems that a purge and reorganizing effort is on the horizon. But, before I get to that, I've queued up projects for some of the bulkier fabrics. I need the space that they take up. The first of these projects is a new coat for me! The fabric... I purchased this orange coating fabric over a year ago when all the clearance fabrics at Fabricland were $1.00/meter. However, this is not a high-quality piece of fabric. It is mostly polyester and I don't expect it to wear well. I suspect it will pill. For that reason, I didn't invest a lot of time in the construction. Also, I'm thinking that I might get tired of an orange coat more quickly than something neutral, so I didn't see the need to use lots of elaborate techniques on this project. The lining fabric was given to me by a destashing acquaintance. It isn't particularly fabulous, but it was on hand and perfectly serviceable. The entire coat is und...
11 comments
Read more

Simplicity 8014 - Black Shirtdress

I do love a nice collared shirt, so the shirtdress seems like a natural extension of that. There are so many good shirtdress patterns available right now, it was a little difficult to choose. The one I used here is Simplicity 8014 , View D. I really liked the denim version on the envelope, but I wanted the option of wearing this to work, so no denim for me. I had considered trying this in silk, but shortly before I went fabric shopping I messed up this silk top with some sort of oil stain. My attempts at treating it only seemed to make it worse. Only low-maintenance laundry items for me, I guess. This fabric is polyester. I wouldn't say it was a joy to work with, but it wasn't bad. After making a muslin, I was pretty pleased with the fit. I removed 1.5" in width from the back - only the dress piece, not the yoke. I also added 2" in length to the skirt. The pattern has gathers at CB, but I changed that to a pleat. I also omitted the pockets. In the final ...
8 comments
Read more