The Joan Holloway Dress: Take Two

Sometimes after I finish I project, I can't stop thinking about how to improve it. Especially the fit. I usually continue to obsess about it until the only option is to immediately make the project again. It's very exhausting to be me sometimes. (It also requires a lot of fabric.)


As I wrote about earlier, my first stab at Simplicity 3673, a reissued vintage pattern, involved a lot of fitting around the waist and bottom hem. As I wore the dress (twice in two days!), I found I was also unhappy with the bodice fit. It kept gaping around the front and back neckline, the armholes, and a deep wrinkle formed around the bust. Here's how I altered the pattern. While wearing the dress, I pinned out the extra fabric. Here's a couple views of the tucks I took out:

Then I measured the depth of the tucks and transferred them to the pattern. You have to slash and overlap the amount of the tucks, like I did in this sba tutorial.

So I made this again with my altered pattern, in a nice red double knit from Gorgeous Fabrics (it's on sale now!). The alterations on the bodice made the neckline a little higher, but I think it's a nice alternative to the original look. It's possible I got a little overzealous with tucking out fabric, because now the under-bust seam keeps riding up. See, this is why I should really always make a muslin after major alterations to a pattern. Live and learn, right?

I'd never worked with double knit before, and I liked it, but I think the wool crepe is a better choice for this dress.

I've been getting really into Ambiance Bemberg lining (I buy mine at B&J in the Garment District, but you can buy it online here), and I used a coral color to line just the bodice in this version. I like how it creates a rich monochromatic color scheme.

Whew. I think I can lay this pattern to rest now. On to the next VoNBSS project!