cambie v2

Watch out. This Cambie dress is all growed up.

If you don't count the 18,000 thrifted items I keep meaning to refashion (ugh), I don't have too many unfinished objects languishing in that closet behind me. This Cambie dress was the exception, though. I started and nearly finished it a few months ago, but stowed it away when I got bored. That's what happens when I make a pattern more than once, I think. All I had left to do was adjust the dart position, fix the pockets along the side seam, and hem the skirt and lining. Finally conquered.

Ha, I do not carry around my blazer like this normally. Just when I'm wearing this new dress to a top-shelf cocktail party and/or schmoozy corporate networking event. (j/k I drink Yuengling beer and work for a non-profit.)

This pose better represents my true personality. Squirrel watching, likely.

I didn't think I'd want to make another Cambie because it's pretty darn sweet (see my first here), but I liked how the other one fit so thought I'd try it again with a straight neckline, ungathered sleeves and shorter hem. I think it worked out. I won't wear it a ton because my office is slightly more casual than this. But I could definitely wear it out to dinner or... something. Business casual squirrel-watching.

It's black and white, if the zoomed-out photos weren't totally clear. I wish I knew what this fabric was and it scares me that I don't. It was in the wool section at Jomar, but fabric categories at Jomar are loosely interpreted to say the least. It's some spongy textured suiting type of fabric with a loose weave. It's kinda reminds me of rope, and practically absorbs your stitches. Great for hiding crooked top-stitching but terrible for seam-ripping. 

I chose purple lining because, hell, why not? Corey only saw me sewing the lining part of this dress, so he thought I was making a shiny purple polyester dress. Totally my style, yes? He didn't try and stop me, though.

As before, I attached the lining to the zipper using Tasia's method described on her blog. I also looked at her tutorial for getting the straight neckline but that's pretty intuitive. For my slightly altered dress sleeves, I just used the sleeve lining pattern pieces (which are ungathered already) so I knew how wide to cut them.

I like how the back neckline of this pattern does not gape on me, thanks to the ability to adjust the straps before sewing them at the end. I think I went overboard, though, and made these straps too snug, which prevents gaping but also prevents maximum arm movement. I had already serged the straps so had no more fabric to let out.

Well, one can always unzip the top of one's dress in the back for some more mobility and throw on a blazer as a disguise. But I wouldn't dare cheat like that.

Psyyyyche.

What about you? Have any UFOs that need some attention?

cambie, can it be?

Can it be... that I sewed something blue?

I do like other colors, I think. I just forget about them when I'm shopping for fabric. But I should really stop being embarrassed to show you blue garments because otherwise I'd have nothing to blog about and it'd be a disaster for humanity if I stopped blogging, right guys?

I doubt this dress needs an introduction because anyone who reads sewing blogs probably recognizes that I used the new Cambie dress pattern from Sewaholic. One of the fabulous benefits of sewing for yourself is that you'll always have a unique-to-you garment in the end. Yet, when you're part of a sewing blog community and everyone's making the same dress at once because you love Tasia and her patterns with all your heart, it kinda makes this dress feel like old hat already.

Luckily for me, the real-live people I interact with daily do not know that there are adorable seamsters in other nations/states/nation-states prancing around in their own versions of this same gathered-capsleeve sweetheart dress. (OK, maybe it's only Scruffy Badger who I've ever witnessed prancing, and she looks good doing it!) And it still means I will never again have to experience the horror of walking into a party wearing the same Target dress as someone else. Weird: just three months ago I was still friendly with Target and didn't feel too gross about buying their clothes. But I was there last night and found myself scoffing at their sad unlined shapeless polyester dresses with misaligned stripes at the seams. The seamstress snobbery hath surfaced.

So yes, I do love my Cambie dress, I really do. A lot, even. This feels like one of the better-quality garments I've made. The full lining helps with that, and it just fits well (in the bodice at least) and is modest yet flattering. I lined the skirt with Bemberg rayon which seems way more luxurious than the $2.99 polyester I usually use (o-god I admit). The main fabric is a navy-and-white pure cotton lawn in a "botanical abstract" print from Fabrics and Trimmings on Etsy. I had enough left over to make the bodice lining, so I decided to stay economical. Here's the inside:

Yeah they didn't have white lining so I went with the navy. I notice in the photos that it does darken the fabric from the outside but big whoop, yaknow? Call it an ombre effect. This dress wasn't difficult to put together, but took a few evenings of solid work to finish it. I sometimes got lost within the layers when I was sewing in the lining and had to reorient myself over again. The fit of the skirt was the most time-consuming part, as I couldn't get the pockets to lay right without them tugging or gaping in the wrong places.

Since I'm Sewaholic's target seamstress (meaning, pear shape and/or awesome), I cut a straight size 6 according to my measurements. Who knows what happened, but the front skirt ended up being way too huge to fit the waistband. I took it in a lot but still had to ease the rest in, so my "A-line" skirt kinda drapes awkwardly when I stand certain ways:

I didn't make a muslin but the fitting wasn't that onerous beyond the skirt. The neckline gaped, as expected, but I took in the front bodice at the top side seams which made it acceptably snug across the top of the bust. The back neckline also gaped, as expected (I'm a hunchback, remember?), but I was able to adjust and angle the straps to eliminate that. I like that the straps/sleeves are attached last so you can ensure that everything sits correctly in the end:

I didn't make any design changes, and the only technical change I made was understitching the sweetheart neckline so the seam wouldn't roll forward. I'd recommend it. You could also understitch the back neckline and armhole seams in the bodice, but I only noticed seam-roll issues in the front so I didn't find it necessary to do the whole thing. Here's the understitching from the inside:

I made this dress primarily to wear to a friend's wedding (today!) but I bet it'll get some mileage at work and nicer restaurants. Uh, but knowing me I'll probably wear it to bars to watch the NBA playoffs, too. Overdressed freak.

How are your summer (or winter, as it may be) dresses coming along?