Monochrome La Sylphide Dress

Completed make number two of 2014 was actually intended to be the final make of 2013...but what with all those Christmas presents and making the most of every scrap of festive free time to see family I just didn't get it done. I probably could have just about done it but this fabric needed proper care and attention, as did all the lovely little details of this pattern so I got to the point of partially assembled bodice and partially assembled skirt then decided to put the sewing machine away until the new year. I'd been scheming up this project for a long long while and I didn't want it to be shoddily constructed just because I rushed it to wear on Christmas Day.

It's the La Sylphide Dress from Papercut Patterns, which I made the blouse version of early last year. Looking at the picture on the pattern envelope I wasn't sure how wearable for me this would be in dress form; it looked very VERY short. However seeing a few gorgeous versions about the internet changed my mind as always (particularly this one from Cirque du Bebe) and I'm pleased I gave it a shot as (partly because I'm such as short-ass) I love the length straight out of the envelope! This may however have something slightly to do with the fact that I think my fabric stretched out a bit during my slightly long winded sewing process, the waist is a little low and also a little wide in this version whereas for my blouse it was quite snug. I don't mind as the lovely slinky drape of this crepe makes it perfect to wear loose fitting and gives it a slightly twenties feel.

And what is the fabric you may ask? Well it's a little treasure I've had carefully stashed away since my trip to New York last April! It's a Thakoon rayon crepe from Mood. One side of it has the matt appearance of a wool crepe and as it's actually rayon the other has a silky sheen. I chose to use it with the crepe side as right side so the slippery soft side would be against the skin. This was an excellent decision, even if I do say so myself, as it makes it de-licious to wear.

Despite the fact that this fabric has been stashed for so long it has actually always, from the moment of purchase, been intended for this project. The inspiration for this dress cropped up when I was idea hunting for Julia Bobbin's last Mad Men Challenge. I absolutely loved the neckline of Joanie's dress pictured above and for some reason all I could see it on for me was a La Sylphide dress! This plan festered in my head for months and months. When I finally found the confidence to draft that collar for myself I realised I didn't have enough of the crepe anyway...back to the drawing board! I still loved the idea of a contrast, monochrome collar and eventually realised that of course I could still do that anyway using the original pattern. I simply folded the neckline pattern piece in two and added a 1cm seam allowance along the folded edge.  I cut one pair from the white, one pair from the black and sewed each white piece to the corresponding black piece before continuing as per the instructions! Simple! The white fabric is a synthetic crepe I had in my stash. It has a similar weight and drape to the crepe so it worked out well.

The crepe pressed beautifully with a coolish iron, so although the slippery-ness could have caused problems with aspects like folding under and topstitching the outside edge of the neckline, it all turned out a treat! Allowing myself more time to complete this project meant I actually thought through things like visible stitching through two colours of fabric. For the topstitching you can see above I used black thread in the needle and white in the bobbin so when the collar falls open you can't see messy black stitching on white.

The pattern itself is a gorgeous unique design which I think looks great with opaque tights in winter, although I can't wait to make one in a flippy colourful print for summer! It's quite a challenging sew which I like, though in a cotton I imagine certain aspects would be more straightforward and so good for developing your skills. I love the three quarter length sleeves (stylish yet practical) although I'd be tempted to go sleeveless for summer. For winter wear this fabric weight is ideal, I wouldn't want any heavier. As it is the body of the fabric gives a bit of a lift to the skirt as I move and I love the way it makes the neck tie stand up around the back of the neck, where it might have flopped into a more scarf like effect if I had chosen a lighter weight.

The buttons I picked up in Simply Fabrics in Brixton with this project in mind. I tried out some different buttons when it got to that point in construction but I just couldn't get out of my head how much I liked the matching domed buttons on Papercut's envelope version. So black domed shank buttons it was for me! Plus I've totally conquered my fear of buttonholes, I got straight on with these with no hesitation and they were one of the quickest parts of the make!

I used my rolled hem foot as suggested by Lauren in the sew-along over at the Papercut Collective. This is the best rolled hem I have done so far - with the exception of where you need to stitch over the side seams. How on earth are you supposed to squeeze those extra bits of seam allowance through the loop of the foot smoothly?! Any tips would be very much appreciated... I was so frustrated because the rest of the hem turned out pretty much perfect first time! I've tried grading the allowances, attempting to roll that little section by hand...

As I started this dress before Christmas and therefore before my lovely Mum had surprised me with my overlocker, I used my favourite french seams throughout. This is super easy to do with this pattern as the sleeves are set in flat before the side seam and underarm seam are sewn up in one.

I can see me getting a lot of wear out of this make as it's easy to dress up or down, so I'm glad I took the time to make it well. And as for Joan's draped collar...it's not forgotten yet!