11.23.2013

cross examination


by now you know the ravishing rachel, of house of pinheiro, is releasing a new (free!) pattern come christmas day.  i was thrilled to test this beauty's debut beaut of a pattern, the brasilia dress, which i can now see, after taking pictures, is in wearable muslin form.  cue sad face.  no, scratch that, cue rachel face:

 

you can't test a rachel pattern without giving a rachel pose.


hooray!  crazy face print pulling to-the-left on off-grain stretch cotton!!!  AWESOME!

okay, so this has been knocked down to wearable muslin status because of the fabric, not the pattern. lemme put it in bold red letters for speedreaders: THE PATTERN IS TERRIFIC.  the fabric, not so much.  after adjusting the pattern for a shorter waist (yay for included lengthen/shorten lines!) & one inch swayback, i eyeballed my print placement.  no bandana targets directly on my ass, please. unfortunately, the fabric had gone so off grain in the wash, all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't yadayadaYADA.  

par example, behold the center seam, from far away, ok:


from close up, non baby non:


it's pulling in the front as well, and generally causing me pain.

i also think i might not be a fan of stretch cotton.  i like the stretch factor.  but it's sort of stiff... maybe i'm using it for the wrong thing, as i've only tried it with dresses.  this bandana print is from mood, if you absolutely must have it.  and if you must, lemme know what it's good for, m'kay?

but call me a fangirl and give me some pom poms for the brasilia dress.  yes, you have to hope your measurements are close to rachel's, or get out your grading cap, but did i mention it's free?   

i'll be making up the real thing soon...mayhaps in a stretch wool.  mmmmmm wool.  thank you rachel, you knocked it out of the park, i hope to do you justice on my next try!

48 comments:

  1. Nice work despite your fabric grain woes! I'm eagerly awaiting this pattern going live! Can't wait to see your winter version. With all the wool beauties you've been producing, I'm sure it will be magical!

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    1. well thank you!! aaaand.....the wool i'm thinking of is a solid.

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  2. looks pretty awesome to me, even though you're not a fan.. i actually like stretch cotton, it's fabulous for full skirts, they look almost like you wear a petticoat (and i happen to like that)..

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    1. i think i gotta go with full skirt for the rest of this cotton. god knows i still have eighty yards of it.

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  3. Oooooh, stretch, neon wool? Can that be a thing please?

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    1. YES. it MUST be a thing. the world wouldn't be right if it wasn't.

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  4. I'm looking forward to the wool version. Your wool dresses have been pretty amazing lately :) Cannot wait for that pattern either...pretty cute. Hope I'm close to her size :) I'm thinking I'm ALOT shorter though from the photos on her blog ;)

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    1. thank you! i didn't realize i was on a wool kick till a couple hollers here :). i'm a lot shorter too!

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  5. A pregnant belly has meant I've missed out on so many cool indie patterns this year. This dress, the Anna dress... I guess I can't complain though! I'm glad you tested the pattern, and I look forward to seeing it made in wool!

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    1. ah, my friend, that means you get a pattern shower post bebe. doesn't that sound fabulous?

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  6. Ooooo what a gorgeous print! Love the look of the print and dress on you. Sorry about the grainline, but can't wait to see it in stretch wool!

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  7. I thought a wool version would be amazing too! Love you version, and amazed you tried to match the prints! I did not know the pattern would be free, brilliant!

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    1. yep, and really it's so well done. i kinda think she should release it in time for peeps to make holiday dresses :)))

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  8. Ohh - I think it's fabulous. The fit is amazing. Sorry the fabric didn't behave - maybe you can wear it but not let anyone get too close? g

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    1. i do love the fit! i'm thinking it can be worn under a cool sweater cardi , something like that.

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  9. I think we always find things "wrong" with our creations but they are really quite fabulous....this one included!....love this blog girl!

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    1. thank you!! i should give you an ULTRA close up and show you just how wrong the seams went :)

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  10. that fabric is so cool! such a bummer about it being off grain... hope the next one works out. the only thing i've used stretch cotton for is a jacket i made my daughter recently, so i'm no help there!

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    1. i'm thinking of using the rest for pillows. this stretch cotton could drive me to home dec!

      your daughter & her jacket are beautiful!

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  11. You have the Rachel post down pat! This looks like a great pattern and despite being probably a whole metre shorter than Rachel I'm keen to give it a go. This is great fabric and a shame it's not quite right.

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    1. i tell ya, that girl can POSE. yeah, this fabric is really a bummer, such a great print.

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  12. Hmmm. I can't imagine what you would use stretch cotton for if not a fitted dress or skirt. Bummer. But it looks like it fits you really well and a new fabric will be just the ticket.

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  13. When Oona does it she does it like a boss. Fabric woes or not this is just amazing. Thanks for being awesome xx

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  14. I'm not a fan of stretch cotton but that's because I think it should only be used for close fitting garments and since I'm not wearing anything close fitting on my bode - it doesn't play well with me. But this should be amazing in stretch wool! Glad you like the pattern and can't wait to see the next version!

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    1. you crack me up.

      it does seem like close is the way to go with this stuff--i guess in the end stretch cotton feels a step away from quilting cotton to me. need wool! or ooooh maybe ponte....

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  15. I am looking forward to the release of this pattern. Your muslin version looks good to me Oona!

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    1. thanks linda! i really think you'll enjoy this pattern, she did a wonderful job.

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  16. I think your dress looks fabulous, great job on the placement and matching.

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    1. thanks lori :) i was pretty thrilled with my placement, only to heave a heavy sigh upon inspection...

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  17. I am so proud of Rachel for making/releasing a pattern, and on Christmas day? How much more awesome. It's also close to my birthday (December 27th), but is counting the days? I think you look great in the dress and the pattern is so busy, that I can't tell the grain is off.

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    1. she is most certainly a busy gal. the pattern AND rachel :)

      if i were a december baby, i think my birthday would begin the day after thanksgiving. it must feel like all the holidays are yours.

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  18. Love the print placement! Pity about the strange pulling. :(

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  19. Great dress pattern! I love the 'style lines' (is that the correct word for those cool diagonal seamlines?) The pattern on the fabric is pretty amazing - such a shame about the craptastic stiffness and off-grainness!

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  20. That looks like a great pattern - I love the bust darts. Here's to your next, perfectly lined-up version!

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  21. Grrrrr....Google ate my comment. Again!

    I haven't had the shifting issue with stretch cotton; perhaps something is amiss with the grain.

    As for the target on the back, I agree with you. I recall a photo of a sewer who had a similar-yet-far-more-tragic mishap on the front. It was not cute. Not cute at all.

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  22. Oooooh, cute! Can't wait to see this in wool! The tester versions I've seen have all been amazing so far.

    To be honest, I'm really not a fan of stretch wovens. In my experience, when it's a little off-grain, I can't pull it back on grain because the stretch sort of keeps you from being able to manipulate the fabric. Plus, I don't feel like stretch wovens hold up as well to laundering.

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  23. I'm so excited about Rachel's dress and I think it looks great on you, misbehaving fabric or not. I too have a love/hate relationship with cotton sateen. Sometimes it works, sometimes I want to punch it in the face.
    You look fabulous as always!

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  24. Looks great! And awesome Rachel pose :)
    I don't think *normal* people will notice the off-grain-ness!!

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  25. I love this print! Yay for the Brasilia dress - I also made mine out of an off-grain fabric, grrrr.

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  26. I always enjoy the feast and feats you share, but have to say your Rachel pose is so cute and cheeky, made me smile big time :-)

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  27. I love this print and the Brasilia dress looks amazing on you! Ahh, that's what happens with stretch fabric. Some of the dresses I made, I was wondering what was going on back there. I might have to rethink my relationship with stretch cotton sateen!

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  28. You have done wonders with cotton stretch sateen, and a bandana print to boot! I think it looks quite amazing on you, master of fit you!

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  29. the pattern on that fabric is stunning! sorry it wasn't so great to work with. You rock it anyway!

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  30. Cute. Love the simplicity of the dress and how you paired those boots with the handkerchief battern

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i thankya truly for taking the time to comment, i love a good conversation-- and hope you know my thanks are always implied, if not always written!