Simplicity 1419 - Sailor Dress

 I'm on a roll - might as well carry on. 

So after I had finished my cherry blossom dress with its err... "minor" fit issues I launched (hehe launched) straight in to my next 1419 - because why not, right? While all the mistakes are still fresh in ones mind? 


Let me just clarify before we start I have never had any nautical ambitions in my life. I get seasick with the gentlest of sways (though not as bad as my partner, who is of even weaker constitution than I hohoho). However that does not stop me from finding nautical themed prints adorable. I was trying to come up with something profound like "oh the ocean is a symbol of the boundless unknown and our fascination with sailing probably stems from our human drive to explore beyond the horizons of our knowledge"... but really I am shallow and really just think the blue red and white is a neat colour combination. Putting on a nautical themed dress is really the only way to wear said combo without looking like a patriotic American (which one could probably only pull off if one was actually American?) 

I drafted the sailor collar myself ad hoc - it involved putting my muslin on Mannie my mannequin and chucking a piece of tissue paper over it and drawing over that. #technology 

In the process I also tried to learn from my first 1419 and shaves a bit more off the bodice - I made a further SBA and didn't REALLY know what to do with the excess back fabric so just cheated a bit and just cut a wedge out the center back. It is still a bit roomy but a bit more improved. I think when I next make this dress I'll have a harder think about where to rotate this excess fabric. Could I pull the shoulder segment of the back piece forward? Or just make the center back narrower? Suggestions welcome!



The collar looks a bit wrinkled in the pictures. This is due to me having a disaster during the last stages of construction where I burnt the collar while ironing it and a corner of it ended up a horribly discoloured parchment colour. This is AFTER its been attached to the dress. Shock Horror!  I had a bit of a meltdown and soaked just the collar bit in a wee basin in a ton of Napisan for days which thankfully restored the whiteness but alas left a bit of wrinking in the fabric when it dried. I will be brave in the near future to reiron it but at this stage I've left it be to let my nerves recover a bit. 😅

Lesson learnt: do NOT multitask when ironing. 

Otherwise I totes adore this dress.  I will definitely do a round 3 of 1419 some day, with the aim of getting the back smooth. It's gonna happen you guys!


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