Oona convinced me to take a leap and order the Kimono Sleeve Dress from Pattern Runway. I spent Wednesday printing (ran out of ink, of course), cutting, and taping together the pattern. I really appreciated the printed grid and the paper edges that aided in the taping process. This was something that I hadn’t experienced with the free Burda and Colette patterns that I’ve printed at home. I also spent some time reading through the instructions and looking through the tutorial.
Yesterday, I cut the dress from muslin and ran through the construction. I hope you can forgive the dark photos but I finished as the sun was setting.
Pretty much any fabric is more flattering than muslin, thankfully! Looking past the fabric, though, the overall form is nice. I was expecting to have to make some alterations but I’m so pleased with the muslin’s fit that I don’t think I’ll change anything. Although my hips and bust were a perfect size Medium, my waist is closer to a Large. Due to the elastic waistband, however, I resisted cutting the size Large and I’m glad that I did. There’s a lot of ease in the design and I wouldn’t want more fabric around my hips or bust. If I were really picky, I would shorten the pattern at the armhole to accommodate my petite height. Comparing my muslin with the garment on the dress form (here), the proportions seem about right though. Given this, I’m going to proceed without alteration. There is a chance that I’ll end up raising the hem but I don’t see any harm in cutting the pattern as is and see how the drape affects the length (and the appearance on me).
Although I won’t be making any adjustments, I’m glad that I made a muslin. I mentioned that I’m going to be cutting this from my precious 4 ply silk and I can’t begin to tell you how nervous I am. I feel like a fraud working with such amazing fabric and I’d really hate to ruin it. I keep telling myself that I’ve purchased ready to wear that was more expensive than this fabric and then never wore the garments so ruining this fabric can’t be any worse.
I’d like to take the project slowly and keep notes on my experience so that others who are working with this pattern (or 4 ply silk) might benefit. I haven’t found any other bloggers (or burda members) who have written about this dress – if you have, please let me know. I’d love to see your finished project and read about your experience. Happy weekend, all!
)
