The Diplomat Dress is getting a lot of love this spring! Next weekend I will be in Boulder, Colorado, leading a fit workshop for the dress at The Makerie. I’m really excited to be helping the participants (I think we should all ourselves “Makeries”) to customize the dress for their own shapes.
Jeanne made this adorable version of the dress (and don’t you love the shoes she has paired with it!) and has this to say about it:
Since the first Diplomat Dress turned out so nicely, I decided to make another one using a smaller scale Lotta Jansdotter print. This time around, I made View B and added short sleeves to the dress. During our recent preview of summer weather here in New England, I paired the dress with cranberry-colored t-straps for an added punch of color. This dress has already proven to be very versatile given its seasonless nature. I’ve worn this dress with tights, boots, and layered a cardigan on top on colder days. Once I find a pattern that I love, I tend to reuse it over and over again, so I’m positive I will be sewing more Diplomat Dresses soon.
I’m glad to hear that, Jeanne. It looks great on you, and I’m eager to see what our workshop participants make for themselves in the coming weeks, too!
7 Comments:
stunning dress and shoes
I am so excited to have found your site thru Pat’s blog and radio show. I’m looking forward to your interview segment. I was a seamstress of clothing waaaay before being a quilter and I’ve had fun looking thru site. I’m bookmarking and will be back for sure!!
This is a lovely version. I really like the shape of this dress, but I can see from the measurements I will need more room in the bust. How do you recommend making adjustments to this pattern? Should the horizontal seam fall at the fullest bust point like a dart? I find the construction very interesting.
Melanie, there is some shaping in the yoke seam, but if you’re larger than a B-cup you may want to consider adding a bust dart at the side seam. The yoke seam runs above the apex by an inch or so, and if you adjust it you’ll also be changing the armhole so it’s probably easier to stay away from that.
I’m teaching a workshop for this class on Saturday, and we’ll be adding a dart for people who need it. It’s not hard to do, and if I get a chance I’ll try to do a blog post about it.
Thanks, Liesl. That is useful to know. I read another suggestion elsewhere to add the dart into the seam, but of it runs above the bust, that wouldnt work. It can be hard to tell sometimes based on the models where everything should fall. I think this one will need a muslin, but I love the overall shape of this dress and think it will be worth figuring out the fit.
I just love both the dresses you made using the Diplomat! Can I ask where do you find this great material, I was viewing your other pictures when you made the Itnerary dress in the winter and they are super cool prints. Are they woven materials as well?
This is so inspiring. I love Lotta’s fabric and I was having a hard time imagining what it could look like on a dress.