Hepburn/Hepburn project: The Audrey Dress v. 1

First of all, thank you all for the lovely comments on my Kate trousers. I can add to the description of them that they are mighty comfortable as well!

When I woke up today, my voice had left me, and my body was aching. As my line of work is to teach people to sing, there was no point trying to go to work today, as it is kind of tricky to demonstrate different singing techniques without a voice!

Luckily, I have just received my recently ordered sewing literature, and so I have spent most of my day on the couch, tucked under a quilt, with a cup of ginger tea by my side, reading Claire Shaeffer´s Couture Sewing Techniques. That is one interesting book! There are tons of little tips and tricks that I really would like to try out. You´ll get the details as I make new garments!

And, best of all, it inspired me to take a second, more critical look at my Audrey dress.

Sixties dress

A 1960s dress, pattern number 3094 by Stil. I made version B.

Now, as some of you may know, I planned and cut out this dress back in May, and it was originally planned for Self-Stitched September. September arrived, and I tried to finish it. I wasn´t satisfied at all, and tucked it into the large UFO- pile I have…

The Audrey Dress v. 1

The first version of the Audrey dress. Although not a good fit for me, I still love the design!

The major issues are:

  • The length. My dress turned out much longer than what it seem to be on the pic, and I don´t like that. (This is not a big issue, of course, as it is easy to make it shorter).
  • The color choice. Now, this is more difficult to address. The color on me isn´t great, it can probably work for summer, but I don´t see myself wearing this type of dress during the summer months.
  • The neckline. I made version B of this, and that type of neckline (combined with the unflattering color) isn´t really my thing.
  • The sleevelessness. I really am more comfortable in other styles, either with some form of sleeve, or with straps.  This just isn´t the look for me.
  • The fit. I didn´t make a muslin, and so I had to try and make alterations on the dress, I tried to change the shape of the neckline, and I tried to alter the shoulder and arm finish. With no luck…

The Audrey Dress v. 1

Can you smell the uninspired stitching done on this neckline? I didn’t even bother to press it…

So in the spirit of this great post by Stacy, I am letting this one go. I will however make a skirt from the fabric instead, and I will make the little jacket. Together with a black, brown or navy top, I think the color will work better on me. To compensate for the lack of Audrey dresses in my wardrobe, I will make this one instead:

Stil 2593 60s dress

Now, this kind of sleeve looks much better on me . (And I´ll make sure to make a muslin this time…)

Have you had projects like this, that you finally just had to let go?

The Audrey Dress v. 1

Goodbye, dress!

No Comments

  1. Tasia on 29/10/2010 at 17:06

    Yes! I’ve let projects go halfway through before. Not everything can turn out perfectly. Especially when you have a picture in your head of what it’s supposed to look like! It’s OK to move on, there are only so many hours in the day. Better to spend them on something you really love!
    Your new pattern choice is super cool – the hardest part will be that V-shaped seam. Look forward to seeing it all done up!

  2. Stacy on 30/10/2010 at 00:37

    Good for you. Sometimes it’s hard to admit that our projects aren’t turning out the way we dreamed they would, but it feels good to move on!

  3. Carolyn on 30/10/2010 at 17:15

    It’s a pity your dress didn’t turn out just how you envisioned it. But it’s good to recognise when to let go 🙂 I’m sure you will get a lovely skirt from this fabric!

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