Simple red dress: New Look 6968 yet again

Wednesday 3 April 2013
So I survived my first week back at work, but boy was it hard.  Hard to stay awake and paying attention that is! Toby has developed a bit of a cough so he has been waking quite a lot during the night, which combined with his early rising means that by about 2pm or so I'm done for the day and need a nanna nap...

I did get to spend a good chunk of Easter Monday up in my sewing room spending quality time with my fabrics.  I decided to give the red shelf of my stash a clean up, because it was in a horrendously messy state:


I didn't actually ditch too much of my red pieces: red is my favourite colour even if I don't sew with  too often, but at least it's tidy now:


Two pieces went straight into the wash, one of which is this gloriously deep red ponti knit that had been basted into a shift dress that was ginormous on me:



This is a UFO from my grandma's stash (now in my stash), recognisable by her handstitching - I've unpicked enough of her garments for refashioning to know her stitching as well as her handwriting.  It actually has a matching jacket that was completed that my mum currently wears, but I guess a dress and jacket combo might have been too much for my grandma and she didn't finish this.  I was going to take in the side seams and put some darts in, but it was just way too low under the arms for a quick refashion like that.  So instead I pulled it apart completely and just treated it like two oddly shaped pieces of fabric.

I used New Look 6968 again (first, second and third time), not only because it's a great fitting dress but also because it's really economical in it's fabric use so I knew I could squeeze it out from this.  I did need to lower the neckline though because the pattern is for a high round neck but the neckline of the dress was cut too low to fit that in, but apart from that I managed to cut the rest of the pattern pieces out from the fabric:




Check out my new 'back to work' haircut - even if my heart isn't in it at the moment at least I look the part!

I fully lined this dress with some lining fabric in a deep purple colour bought by the roll from the Remnant Warehouse last year sometime, so I didn't have to use any facings luckily since there wasn't any fabric left over for those.  I attached the dress to the lining at the vent at the centre back, but thanks to this photo I can see that I didn't do it properly because there is a slight bulge above the vent.  There is value in taking photos of these unflattering angles after all


I can also see how bad my posture is too from this photo - I always knew that my right shoulder was lower than my left, but the wrinkles above the waistline on my right side seem to indicate that I am slumping quite a bit.  Hmmm, perhaps I need to see a chiropractor or physio before it gets any worse.

I don't about you, but when I think of a red dress I think of either an overly sexy, va va voom style dress or a tacky dress best worn with stripper heels! But it turns out a red dress, at least a dress in a darker, deeper red like this one, is quite versatile.  I can tone it down a bit with a beige jacket (RTW from Jacquie E) to wear to work:


or make it really casual with a denim jacket (made by me) and some flats:


And I've even cut out and started sewing a second piece in red - I'm so happy to be using my red fabrics finally.

43 comments:

  1. You did a great job, love the dress. I must check pattern stash to see if I have that pattern. Again, job well done!

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  2. You look fabulous! Red looks great on you. Hope you adjust to the return to work quickly. That's got to be hard on everyone.

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  3. What a lovely refashion, so pleased you were able to recut the dress to fit :)

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  4. Red is so your colour and you did a great job on that dress. You look amazing in it. It is a great red colour... the red I love. I hope Toby doesn't wake you too much.

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  5. What a nice dress, it must be satisfying to use fabric from your grandmother.
    I've been reading your blog for a while now and i really admire your skills. I'm a new mom for 5 weeks now and a'm jealous at your mathernity leave, 1 year, that must be great, i have to do with 12 weeks. I've just started sewing again now that my daughter is sleeping 4 hours at once, so i hope to make atleast some things during my leave.

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  6. This dress is beautiful, and you look so nice and so put together !
    Like you, I love red but am afraid to wear it.

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  7. Once again, great job. I have been thinking of sewing a red dress for some time now. Perhaps, keeping it simple, as you did is the best option. Very classy.

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  8. You made me laugh with your comments about red...I have exactly the same fear! I loved how you paired it with the jackets. I bought some ponte knit to make the same new look (?) purple dress you made some years ago. As for the fit, I have been working on my rounded back at Sew the perfect fit on Cratsy. If you're interested in the topic, it's a great class. You can see the progress here http://bombardone.com/sewingprincess/2013/03/sew-the-perfect-fit/

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  9. Can I come fabric shopping in your sewing room :)? This is a beautiful dress and the fabric is gorgeous. Here I've only found bad quality ponte knit that pills horribly within days, so I'm not too keen on working with it.
    By the way you look stunning in this dress, I can't believe you've gone through two pregnancies. I'm at the stage where I'm wondering if ill ever see my feet again

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  10. Another great 6968, and fab refashion. Your explanation of the collar option on this pattern is the best out there, by the way. You look beautiful in red, and I love how you paired it with the different jackets. Very versatile.

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  11. Awesome refashion! Lovely color on you, too. Getting back to work will only get easier with time, wishing you the best!

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  12. Gorgeous dress and very smart for the work environment or casual! Good job!

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  13. That dress pattern looks like it was made for you. The fit is terrific! Gorgeous dress, and the red is so pretty on you.

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  14. Perfect, just perfect! Love the dress and the way you styled it.

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  15. I love the idea that you can know your grandma's hand stitching in the same way that you can know someone's handwriting :)

    You did a great job on this multi-generation UFO, it is a gorgeous red and looks great with your jackets. Your new hair cut looks sharp too, even when I am not in the mood for something, making the effort to dress that way or getting a new hair cut helps me get my mind there. I hope Toby is better soon and you get settled in back at work quickly.

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  16. Hope Toby is better and you're getting some more rest! Thanks for including the before pics, it really shows what a good fit and well cut pattern does for a piece of fabric!

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  17. Nice conversion. You look very smart in the new dress and hair. Shame you have to go back to work..

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  18. Excellent use of your grandmother's UFO! And what a superb colour. So versatile!

    I have the same problem as you with the crooked shoulders and posture - I have found over the years that chiropractors don't suit me, and physios don't know how to deal with it! But for the last year or so I've been seeing a guy who does both Bowen and Emmett therapies and my back has never been better. He can lower my shoulder and unkink my crooked hips with just a couple of gentle presses on my muscles. It's brilliant. It might be worth looking into

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  19. You look fabulous in that pretty red dress. Red is really your color! Wear it often. Also, how great that you could use your grandmother's cast-off. Hope your little one feels better soon.

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  20. Your comments about the connatations of a red dress remind me of a red dress I used to wear to work. Every time I wore it, one of my colleagues would start singing that awful song "Lady in Red". Blerggh. It put me off wearing the dress.
    Red looks good on you. Keen to see the next red dress.

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  21. This dress is AWEsome!! You really suit red, and this shade is fabulous. I know what you mean about red dresses, but this style and colour are lovely. It's great to see is paired with two different styles of jackets, shows how versatile it is.

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  22. it looks sooooo good! i had such trouble with 6968, i tried the 14 and the 12 in the bodice and there was way too much excess in the bust area, I had to make it into princess seams to get rid of the excess as I couldn't go smaller elsewhere in the bodice. i always thought we were similarly shaped, just that you are a 10 and i'm a 12 or 14....i don't know why it fits you perfectly in the bust and is too big for me!
    anyway, the dress is great and it looks super professional with the jacket and belt!

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  23. Gorgeous dress and love red, just need to find the right shade.

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  24. Love this dress on you! You look amazing in it! Great job! I really like the new 'do as well! Very smart looking!

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  25. Love that colour! Dress looks great. Good save!

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  26. Red is defiantly your color! It really is lovely. And so versatile. Who says that everyone needs a little black dress... seems to me it ought to be red! Looking forward to the next red dress/outfit... hmmm I wonder what reds I have in the stash?
    And the fact that you made it from a UFO... good job Kristi

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  27. Oh, shift-dresses look smashing on you! It got an "oh, wow" for that transformation you did to it - I'm glad you picked it apart, because that dress looks just great. Happy back to work!

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  28. What a great way to use what is probably a great quality piece of fabric. The dress looks great on you.

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  29. What a great re-fashion. It looks like you have perfected the fit on that pattern - it's certainly a keeper. You'll get back into the rhythm at work soon - it'll almost feel like you never left :)

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  30. I love how you refashioned your grandmother's dress, and your hair looks great! I know your heart wasn't in it, but I hope all goes wonderfully for you at work.

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  31. I bet you really look the part in town with that outfit. It's perfect for at work and post work function.

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  32. a great dress and so versatile with the right jacket/shoes/accessories

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  33. This is the perfect shade of red for you! It looks great!

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  34. Great dress and you look great. Great refashion.

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  35. I love the dress and it looks great with both jackets. What a great refashion.

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  36. Very nice dress. I don't wear red so if I made a shift dress it would be a boring navy blue (also to hide tummy, lol) Love the haircut too.

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  37. It's great, came out perfect, and I like the denim jacket too.

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  38. I loved your dress so much I went straight to Simplicity and ordered my own New Look 6968. I hope when I eventually make it it will look as good as yours does. Well done. You do so well, job, family and sewing so beautifully - brilliant! Maureen.

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  39. Just lovely! I'm in a red mood... loving it!

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  40. Awesome dress, with the perfect color. I hope your transition to work gets better. The "slouch" is from balancing a child on your hip! We all get it after our mat leave!

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  41. This looks fabulous! You did a great job. I am going to order this pattern now.

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  42. I love your new dress. This pattern just didn't work for me. I also really like the Burda jacket in denim. I made one a version ponte that I've worn to death.

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