Hello, and thank you for following the progress of our Queen's Gambit sewing challenge! If you are new to this blog, feel free to go read through part 1 and part 2, this has been a great challenge with a lot of amazing entries!
Today we are very excited to share with you the dress we made in the studio! For the challenge, we had our followers vote, and the winning vintage pattern was for Simplicity 7336. It's a beautiful pattern from the 1960's The instructions proved a bit tricky to follow (as all vintage pattern instructions are), but with a little imagination, and a little tweaking on the size, we were able to make it work!
The fabric choice, is a deliciously colorful Ankara print that has been being saved in the studio, just waiting for the perfect project. Ankara fabric is directly tied to the African country of Nigeria and has a rich, interesting history. If you want to read more about Ankara prints, please visit our blog write up here!
The pattern was sold as a size 16, which is a 36" bust. The pattern is printed with a 5/8" seam allowance. Most vintage patterns have a large amount of ease built into the pattern, so they can sew up much larger than expected. This is a good thing to know if you are on the fence about a smaller than normal pattern purchase, and also a good reason to sew up a sample garment before cutting into your special fabric.
This pattern also had bias strip buttonholes, which are a delight and something that has not been sewn by Whimsberry in the past! You will definitely see more of these delights in future garments!
After reviewing the pattern, we decided to skip the sample and just go for it, something that may not have worked out, but did. In changes to the pattern, we took off 4" from the bottom hem and brought the side seams in about 2", and used a 3/8" seam allowance. We also forgot to add interfacing to the facing (oops?), which makes the facing pop out when you put it on. Hilarious, but easy to work with!
After sewing the dress, we took it out about the town, got some adorable photos, and ended up hiking for almost 4 miles. The dress, with a slip underneath had great movement, was very comfortable and held up to the romp around. It's loved, hanging on the wall, and we are already looking for different fabrics to make more of them with.
As this pattern was easy and a delight to wear, it might be something that we change, grade and add as a download for later. Feel free to let us know how you feel about this idea. We love feedback.
Hope you are all enjoying sewing your 1960's, Queen's Gambit garments! Don't forget that the challenge runs through this 12/31/20, and that a winner will be chosen and posted on 01/01/21! See our other blog posts for more information.
Happy Sewing!
1 comment
Love the blog!