UP Dress Muslin

I sewed up my muslin for the UP dress. It looks a bit strange as it is made from two different fabrics. Sorry for the poor photo quality - it is overcast and gloomy here today. The above picture shows the side that will have buttons.

I followed the first steps of attaching the front and back panels, then I did the centre back pleat.

Then I skipped lots of steps and went straight to shoulder and side seams so I can get an idea of the overall shape and fit.

In the pattern layout instructions it says cut 2 back pleats but on the actual pattern piece it says cut 1. So I cut one and used one in my muslin. I cannot see where a second pleat piece would go.

I have found out some things:

I am unsure how to sew the pleat securely without it looking a mess.

• I made the muslin too big...the measurements with the pattern are for the finished dress not the size it will fit. I made it XL size as I would prefer to make it too big and then scale down. I also think I am bigger than I really am. I am now thinking a lot about size and ease. I gave my muslin something like 9" of ease! I am getting a headache with this sizing. I found this chart from Butterick which looks useful. Anymore tips on how much ease to put into a dress? The measurements table that came with the Uniform Dress pattern are for the finished dress, not for the size it should fit.


• I had to retrace all the pieces... This was not too bad and is all done now


• I crawled under my bed and found I have used all my stash of lining fabric up, so will have to go and buy some lining fabric.

I am going to cut out the fabric soon but with school and pre-school on holiday next week I may have to slow down on this.

UP dress fabric and Me Made March

Thank you for the comments about the UP dress sewalong. It is very nice to have support and interest. This is my first sewalong...I am hoping it will keep me on track and mean I finish the dress.



Here is the picture of the UP fabric. It is a wool/poly mix, machine washable and quite lightweight. I am hoping to make the facing/lining from some pink lining fabric I have in my stash. I just need to crawl under the bed to drag out the storage box and check if I have enough.

The UP dress sewalong has been set up with the hope we will finish our dresses in time for at least part of Me-Made March. Which leads me on to the fact that I am taking part in Me-Made-March organised by the amazing Zoe. Here is the pledge,

I, Debbie, sign up as a participant inMe Made March '11. I shall endeavour to wear two me-made or refashioned items each day for the duration of March.

I have tried to set more of a challenge by having two items - maybe somedays I may manage more. I know where I am lacking me-made clothes though is jackets (none), and trousers (1 pair). I am also a massive, daily cardigan wearer and have no me-made cardigans...thoguh I do have one size 18 woollen beauty awaiting a refashion.
My sewing box

If you are not familiar with Me-Made -March you can go over and have a look at Zoe's blog, and you can still see the May and September Flickr groups too. The discussions on the flickr group are good too, and I would recomment signing up to flickr if you want to participate more fully.

Here is a bit about my very own Self Stitched September from this blog.

Having taken part in Me-Made-May and Self-Stitched-September, I recommend joining in this project. I met new friends, gained a lot of inspiration from the outfits of other participants and taking my own photo each day was a whole learning experience of its own! I also liked being challenged to make the most of my exisintg wardrobe of me-made clothes, and to get myself out of my jeans-wearing rut. You don't have to do a daily blog about it, or a daily flickr post, the beauty of this challenge is the way you can adapt it to your own situation. March is an interesting month weatherwise in the UK - so well, we will see how I get on.