twi remnant - jean muir jumper dress

Generally when I buy fabric, I go to either Murphy Sheehys or TWI fabric wholesalers in Dublin.  TWI is a little bit 'out of the way' from the city centre, but it has a great selection, it's at the rear of a Georgian house in a Georgian square and is a maze of alcoves, corridors, and one large warehouse room of fabric.  There is a huge pile of remnants in the big room and the last time I was there I got three lengths of wool suiting for about 10euro.  This was one of the pieces and measured 60inch x 41inch (please excuse my inch and centimetre changeovers, I sew in inches and pattern draft in centimetres, and measure myself in inches - I think its a result of sewing in school where it was all imperial, and then pattern drafting is more accurate in centimetres).

While this wool is a lovely quality, but rather a sober colour and it has languished in stash for about a year.  I wanted to try this Jean Muir pattern, and got the whole cut from this piece - win win.

The sewing of the pattern was relatively straightforward.  But as usual I steamed ahead without checking instructions fully and top stitched each side of the seam closer to the seam than pattern recommended (1/8inch - pattern 1/4inch)  but I wasn't going to undo it either.  Part of this current sewing frenzy is for me to cut out my over-the-years-short-cuts (read bad habits), and for the most part I have been a bit more patient in my sewing.  Also, as I have often drafted my own patterns over the years, (again, I have also gotten into some short-cuts here, so I am now drafting a new set of lovely blocks on card..... )  I have also not sewn in a proper sequential manner, which is why I am trying to slow down and read instructions - doesn't always work.

I left dress length and everything else according to the instruction.  The length is good (just above knee), but way different from front of envelope! which shows it much higher.  I love the hemline.  The buttons are very plain, but they are from the button tin (sometimes I think I come from a long line of button collectors.....).  

The dress is not very shaped at waist, and when the belt is put on, it looked a bit like a pulled in sack, so I put two (temporary) tucks at back to control the fabric which did and didn't work so I undid them.  I am still undecided on the dress, and I think its the shaping, or lack of, but I will wear it over the next few weeks and decide. If all comes to all, I know it has the makings of a good skirt, sometimes I think, the more I sew, the fussier I get!  I know that I started and am now finishing 4 dresses in December, and am surprised at how critical I am of each (although the Trigere one I am finishing now looks like the winner).  One reason I am making these dresses is the main winter dress I had last year is a rtw sweater dress which doesn't suit my shape, and when I wear it I seemed to be always pulling at it, - but it did suit my favourite winter boots, and I had decided this year not to wear it anymore, and work on something that would suit me and the boots!   

The nice thing about the pattern was the simple and effective cut, and while I was doing the dress, I was browsing  the blouse pattern which is now on the to-do list.......