Have you tried any of the Simplicity Amazing Fit patterns? I made a great dress with Simplicity 2217.


Pattern envelope courtesy of Simplicity
This post is a departure from my normal writing. I usually make up something, persuade my reluctant photographer/husband to take a few snaps in the garden and stand awkwardly in a totally out of place kind of style. But today we get to see a dress in action. In its natural setting and environment, in the wild. Worn and enjoyed as it should be…see, I do occasionally leave the house!
A couple of our friends were getting married this year, a lovely and handsome couple, Travis and Alaina. And being spread over 3 days, this was going to be the event of the year and probably the most swanky wedding I was ever going to go to in my life. So the challenge was on to create a different dress for every day. Today I am presenting the dress for the big day itself – the wedding ceremony and celebration dinner.
But time was drawing on, and I had 3 dresses to make and nothing was started. Fitting is usually my biggest challenge and with no more fabric available if I messed up, I needed to be right first time. So I chose the Simplicity Amazing Fit Pattern 2217. You can pick from different cup sizes for the bodice, and also for a slim, average or curvy fit. I picked the sleeveless version, C and spent a LOT of time measuring all of the pieces and reading through the very comprehensive fitting instructions before I cut anything. I eventually cut the size 14 bodice in a C cup, and the same for the skirt in ‘average'.
The dress is unlined so nice and cool, with facings to the front, neck and armholes. There is an interfaced waist and a center back invisible zipper. I still had to make a few adjustments here and there and then change the facings to match and I just about managed with a few inches to spare, to cut it from the fabric I had.
And here it is – at the wedding with some of my lovely girl friends, Caz and Laura.
And this handsome guy is my wonderful husband. It's always hard to get a good picture of him, he is forever messing about or pulling faces so even here he isn't exactly smiling. I think he shares the same fear of having his picture taken that I have, which is probably another reason he is always so reluctant to take my blog photos – it's always an ordeal for both of us. The setting for the wedding was lovely in the beautiful gardens of this big house on the water. We enjoyed a fabulous sunset that evening. (Hmm, looking at this, I should perhaps have taken up his trousers – what do you think? It doesn't help that he always has his pockets stuffed with rocks and things it seems.)
And in an effort to pretend that this blog isn't all about me, here is a picture of the lovely couple, Travis and Alaina. I want to tell you, I watched her all afternoon and evening in this dress, and she didn't hitch it up once. From a dress-making point of view, that dress had some serious engineering and fit so perfectly that she danced like a demon and it never moved even a fraction of an inch – very impressive. It didn't feel appropriate to ask the bride what was going on inside her dress but it must have been nailed on.
Later that evening – let the dancing begin. Don't you love weddings. Since I hit 40 I don't think I ever dance any more – but a wedding is the perfect excuse and reason to do so. Don't blame the big grin on the champagne – I was driving and only had one glass! Blame it on the boogie.
And to close, another photo of the hubby and me. This time, we are caught out – we think the photos are all taken so we've relaxed, looked away, really smiled at each other. This is probably the best photo of the two of us together ever taken in the history of tense photography. Oh, and the dress looks damned good too.
Want to make clothes that fit better, you could certainly give this Amazing Fit range from Simplicity a try. It worked a treat for me and I made up a dress in super quick time without the usual fitting hassles. Highly recommended.
Authored by: Deby at So Sew Easy
Looks just GREAT Deby! Everything!
That dress is killer on you! What a great pattern, but the FABRIC really made it.
Oh my gosh! I just received this pattern today and in looking it over, it looks terrifying! I’m a beginner, so I hope I can tackle this pattern – someday.
I agree – there are SO MANY pieces that it does look scary. But that’s because there are so many options. Take your time to pick the right size for you from all of those options and most of the pieces won’t be used at all. Good luck with it Robin.
Thanks! It looks so great on you, I just had to get the pattern.
this dress came out amazing! Thanks so much for linking up to Handmade Tuesdays @ Ladybug Blessings – Kristen
really good fit for you.
Deby, this is such a great post, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. It was one of our top viewed posts on last week’s Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop on Ducks ‘n a Row!!!! Come by this week and see it featured. 🙂
Blessings,
Sinea
I am so glad to see that you made this dress. I have that pattern on my “wish list” and will probably purchase it very soon. The fabric that you used is beautiful, and you wear it well. You are such an inspiration, Deby 🙂
Wow! I love that dress you made for the wedding, and yes that is a great photo of you and your husband. I will check out those Simplicity patterns. Thank you. You are doing a fantastic job on your Craftsy fitting muslin too.
The dress is very nice on you but hubby’s pants needs a little TLC. Our husbands looks are a reflection of how we take care of them.
Ah, if only that was true of mine – he would be smart and handsome indeed. He likes to strongly and stubbornly operate a mind of his own and express it usually through his exceptionally scruffy style of dress. If you can find a t-shirt in the shops that deliberately looks old and worn you can guarantee that will be the one he loves!
I agree 100% Deby, I’ve been married 41½ yrs and my husband’s style reflects nothing about how I take care of him, it reflects what he enjoys and understands. He grew up here in Texas working cows on the weekends and would be doing that today given the opportunity. He pastored for 25 yrs (and yes, he dressed in suits them :)) and is a teacher and consultant now, but he chooses his clothes, just like I do and he chooses what he likes. Sure, dress pants and dress shirts for school, a tie if the occasion warrants, but t-shirts and baggy jeans are his preference when not at work. It’s a hoot, because I own one pair of “jeans” for when nothing else will do, but not the structured kind most people wear. My job as a wife is not to change him to what I think he should look like, it’s to love him as he is! Sorry, I’ll get off my soapbox now and go back to the sewing room :).
Love the pattern AND the fabric – well done! Hope to see you again soon!
Michelle @ On A Wing And A Prayer
The dress looks AMAZING on you!! Love the fabric! That picture of you and your husband is so good! 🙂
Great dress – Deby! It looks great on you. Thanks for letting me know about the patterns – I will check them out soon.
Beautiful dress! I don’t think I’d ever think to make a dress with it, but seeing it seems like it was made for that dress. Great job! And the pic of you & your hubby smiling is so sweet.
The dress turned out great! Love seeing the dress in action too!
I love that dress; beautiful! I wish they’d print this line of patterns in their FULL size range. I haven’t seen one yet that comes in my size (which, unfortunately, would defeat the purpose of “amazing fit” 😉 ). Yours looks great, though!
Well, first of all, this blog is all about you, :). And rightly so! You look beautiful in this dress. Very lovely fabric choice and flattering design line. I love the slight sheen. With respect to your hubby’s pants length, I would guess maybe a little shorter, especially if they’re touching the ground at his heels.
I just wish he wouldn’t keep filling his pockets with strange and heavy things. He needs a man-bag! Dress trousers are not supposed to look like a scarecrow owned them before!
First I want to congratulate you on job well done. You look fabulous! Also I love that you use up your fabric stash, when I buy fabric for non-specific sewing I always have a hard time deciding when to use it, I get so attached to the possibilities that I don’t want to “waste” my good fabric.
Husband likes guayaberas because of all the pockets, lately he has been using more of a sports shirt and he dearly misses the extra 3 pockets.When I suggest a murse to him, he said that I just needed to carry a larger pocketbook so I could fit both our stuff. So if the choice is him having stretched out pockets or you carrying everything, I’m okay with the stretched pockets.
regards,
Theresa