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Thursday, April 25, 2019

Past Patterns #803 Pioneer Dress Modified

So, I tried on my old clothes to see if they will still fit for trek. Unfortunately the dress I drafted myself, is just a tad too snug to provide the comfort level I want this time around. I can get into it, I just don't want to feel squished. I'm sad because I really love that dress: the fabric is just so soft and the pattern, so pretty, but losing weight... well. I've remade the bodice three times already and the skirt is already cinched down because I originally used it for maternity, and I didn't remake it with a smaller waistband, I just ran a string through it, so I really shouldn't feel bad making something new.

I would have liked to have, as I've said before, make a corset or more likely a stay, and then draft a new bodice, but I'm going for speed right now, so I pulled out my Past Patterns #803 Pioneer Dress.  As I was working on the dress, up popped a post on the Civilian Civil War Closet by Beth T. with pictures of the original dress that this #803 was based on:


I suppose I could have used the pattern I drafted as my base, but I was a little worried about upsizing it. I've kind of wanted to use the lining patterns of #803 anyway to see how they come out as a bodice. May I say, you can also make a bodice out of the lining pattern pieces. How great is that? Two dresses in one!


After I made the bodice, I came across this lovely dress on Pinterest. It's pleated at the front of the skirt and gathered at the back, I'm pretty sure. It has bigger buttons than what I've often seen. I really loved the little shoulder ruffle.


I couldn't for sure tell if the ruffle was on a cap or stuck in a low armscye, so I messaged Liz Clark. She thought it was a cap over the sleeve. The armscye in #803 is pretty low, so I wondered if I were to stick the ruffle in there, the placement would be just about right, but I was worried it might stick straight out. I did some practice runs on my "muslin" and a little on my real thing, but between bringing the armscye up to where the original's is, my piping, my cap, and my sleeve, there was just too much fabric, my arm was a little too chubby, and I was worried about permanently messing up my armscye. So, with that, I took out my piping and kept the ruffle on my low armscye. I think it will do.


I chose to do bigger buttons like in the original. I just wish I would have made my buttonholes a little closer to the edge of the fabric. I'd originally done a waistband like in #803, but when I saw the pretty dress, I took it off and just added piping at the bottom of my bodice. I didn't account for the less bulk, so now the waist is actually a little too big, so in the picture, I'm holding about 2" to the back.

The original dress says it's cotton, but definitely a finer cotton than mine, maybe more like my blue dress. I wish I would have made my skirt a tad fuller (Sandra Ros Altman says up to 120", and I was about 10" less than that).

I still think it's pretty, and it will be a good trek dress. Looking at it on, it looks like I still could have taken the waist up a little.

I'm pretty proud of some of my hand stitching:



And I do love all those little gathers lined up so perfectly (this is all gathered in tight just for fun, I did have to loosen them, but it got them lined up really nicely):


I think my neighbors going on trek think I'm a little crazy for getting so into this, but I just really love it! This is a work of art for me. When I was sewing years ago, I could get a basic dress done in around 8 hours. I'll say this one has taken at least 20. I wasn't planning for that.

3 comments:

  1. Hi. I have been working on this pattern for a while. I have 50 years of sewing experience and I have not been able to figure this one out. My lining and fashion fabric were cut out in a size 20 and they don't match up in the armscye. Nothing is lining up smoothly and I also can't figure out the waist band extender. I was looking for help and this is the only review I could find on the entire internet. If you are still available, can you please give me some assistance? I would so appreciate it. Thank you! Your dress is so lovely!!! I do like that ruffle on the sleeves very much!

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  2. Oh no! I'm so sorry! It's been so long since I've made these dresses that I can hardly remember! If I remember right, the lining should line up with the fashion fabric once the fashion fabric is sewn together... it should all be the same size. When you lay out your pieces do they seem like they will line up before they are sewn? That's odd that they don't! I wonder if you need to re-cut the lining or something?

    I wish I had pictures of the waist band extender. I know the first time I did the dress I did make it as shown, with just a little extender that I attached... so the waistband extends extra around the waist over the other end of the waistband (you know how you might have pants that connect with a hook a little bit past the center of the garment? That's really all it is. Then you connect the skirt to the extender and bring it all the way around to the other end of the waistband so there's an overlap off-center when it's all connected. I don't even know if that makes sense. When I made the dress again later, I ended up just making an extra long waistband (to account for the regular waistband and the extender, and just used the one long piece rather than the two pieces sewn together. I'm sure it's not as strong as sewing it in two pieces, though).

    I made the dress these times, too, but I just didn't put in that many details/pictures, and I've sold these dresses. https://howtodresslikeapioneer.blogspot.com/2009/11/past-patterns-round-dress-803.html

    The best of luck to you. Sorry I'm not much help.

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  3. Hi and thank you for your reply! Good idea for the waist band. I will do that next time. I did try matching the pattern pieces with the bodice outer and lining and it didn't match up at all. The pattern is the problem with size 20. Also it says to use 1/2" seams which didn't work the way the pattern was drafted. I decided to take the lining out and if I need to I can wear an under shirt. I really just want to get it sewn up and next time I can draft a bodice lining from the bodice fashion pattern. Anyway, have a great day and Thank You again!!!!

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