Saturday, September 30, 2017

The Woes of the Washi Dress

I purchased the Washi Dress by Made by Rae probably two years ago.  I procrastinated because I thought it might be above my skill level.  I had some confidence making the Isla Top recently so I decided to jump in.  Didn't take long for my confidence to disappear.  This is a great pattern; however, I had difficulties from beginning to end.

I had trouble cutting the pieces and marking all the sewing guides.  Do you mark on the right side of the fabric?  Or the wrong side?  I think I marked everything correctly.

As I began to sew, I realized that perhaps I didn't make the best choice of fabric.  Oh well, too late to turn back now.  The darts seemed easy enough to sew; however, they don't lie flat.  Quite unfortunate since they are right at the bust.


I had trouble with the shirring at the back.  I've used elastic thread in the Isla Top, but I suspect it didn't like this fabric, even though I increased my stitch length.  But I got the pleats right!

I marked the lines for the keyhole neck, but decided not to in the end.  But sadly, the disappearing blue pen I used didn't disappear.  And then I got lipstick on the neck line when I tried it on.  Sigh....and then realized the dress was too snug in the bust.  So at this point, it was hard to continue knowing that I'll never wear this dress.


I choose to top stitch the front and back facings.  Too obvious with this fabric.  When I got to the armholes, I didn't have it in me to make bias binding, so I skipped that and just folded over the edge.  None of the seams are finished inside, so what's one more.  LOL

Here's me holding my breath, hoping I don't pop any seams.  I'd like to make this dress again with a different fabric.  But I need to wait a long time so I can forgot all about today's troubles.


This is one of my Finish Along 2017 Q3 goals.


If you have a finish this week, consider linking up with:

Thank Goodness It's Finish Friday @ Kathy's Kwilts and More
Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hand Quilts 



15 comments:

  1. You look good in that 👗. Love the blue.

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  2. The color is super flattering on you. I am sorry for all the troubles, but I hope that means it will go together that much easier when you make it next.

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  3. I hate making a muslin, so I would have done the same! You'll know the adjustments to make next time. It still looks pretty good to me!

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  4. Sorry to read that you had problems making this dress - as I'm thinking of purchasing the pattern.

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  5. You persevered Anja and if you choose to make it again, you will know what changes you need to make. I have made two Washi dresses. One time I used a very soft rayon blend and it worked great. The second one was made with a knit fabric. It turned out pretty good but the darts are a little weird at the bustline. You look great in blue and I bet your next try will be smoother.

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  6. I have only made the Washi dress once as a "wearable muslin". I just used some really cheap thin woven fabric from Joann's (which turned out to be good, the lighter woven hung well). I have never made a "real" version, maybe one day. I am sure that you will be able to take your learnings from this dress and make a great one next time.

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  7. That colour is just gorgeous on you! Too bad you don't think the dress fits properly. That sort of thing happens to me all the time when I make garments - I hope you give this one another try though.

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  8. I love the colour on you! When you do get around to making another one you'll now what to change.

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  9. Although you aren't happy with the dress, you should be very proud. You persevered and finished the dress! And you learned so much along the way. Hope you find the type of fabric that would work better and give it another go. The dress does look fabulous on you!

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  10. I haven't the patience to make a Muslin . I get bored too quickly which is probably when I tried to make my daughter a dress with a similar neckline it all went wrong . It didn't help that she was living in England at the time . Your dress looks fine to me though

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  11. Blue is definitely your colour - I salute you for persevering and I'm sure it'll be much smoother going next time.

    My daughter just started Guides this year and she is loving it. Her first overnight camping trip is fast approaching.

    On behalf of the global hosts, thank you for linking up to the Finish A Long!

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  12. That blue and the style of the dress both look great on you. Hopefully you'll forget all your troubles and try again with a different fabric. I think you'll have a winner then.

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  13. Oh that is a beautiful dress!! A little bit of lace, or beads, might help. Either along the neckline or cut to fit over the entire upper section of the dress, maybe with a scallop edge just above those gorgeous pleats...
    Too bad I can never achieve good design decisions for my own sewing projects. I just can't see how to accomplish them.

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  14. Oof, what a drag. I hope you are feeling better about the dress now but I still understand the frustration. The colour looks great. The fit looks pretty good too. If you took notes then you'll know what to do differently next time. I never make a muslin but this is why you are supposed to (so you don't mess up on the good fabric.)

    Garment sewing: fabric is usually RS together for pattern layout and you mark on the wrong side.

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  15. The dress does look good, and looks good on you. Oh bust darts... the placement and size of bust darts is relative to the bust measurement and several additional measurements. This usually requires specific drafting to get them just right for the person who will be wearing the garment.

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