But when it was initially finished, it should have stayed home. It didn't, and when I wore it the first time, I was actually pretty mortified that it looked as horrible as it did.
Exhibit A, Tiramisu 2.0:
The bodice is a smidge short, but I can live with that. The midriff was too short (something I did on purpose and totally regret) which drove me crazy in wearing. So... how to fix these issues when I only had a small pile of scraps left over.
Introducing the Tiramisu 2.1:
- I'm living with the too short bodice. Will print out the revised bodice pieces for my next version.
- Cut off the skirt at the seamline between skirt and bottom of midriff.
- Added a 2-1/2" wide strip of the "new" fabric to create a belt-like look to the bottom of the midriff. Used a 1/2" seam here.
- Took in the side seams beginning at the midriff. A bunch. Didn't take photos, but angled down from the midriff-bodice seamline toward the waist approximately 2". That adds up to 4" per side! Maybe a little more.
- Trying to preserve the pockets, I took extra width out of the center front and center back of the skirt, using a 2-1/2" seam allowance per seam.
- Reattached the skirt.
- The pockets looked terrible with the new, more snug fit. Sewed them shut, serged off the pocket bits.
- Put the dress on the dress form, measured up from the floor to get an even hem, and used my coverstitch to hem.
End result: it's not perfect, as I would have preferred a solid color, and a bit more length both to the bodice and overall, but it is now a dress I will definitely wear. My previous experience with this fabric is that it will continue to shrink, so it probably has a limited shelf life as it is anyway, so I'll just enjoy it while I can.
With a belt:
