Now why , you may ask, am I standing on my deck on a very warm sunny evening in wool, boots AND a scarf. Other than “because I can” and “I’m still in love with my new fence” obviously.
The Seamwork Tacara first came to my attention when it was discussed in the Curvy Sewing Collective as a good candidate for the Same Pattern Different Body post. I love these posts, it’s so helpful to see how a pattern works on a variety of shapes, what adjustments are made and also how each person styles their look.
I promptly went online , but while I loved the cocoon shape, and the myriad of ways it could be worn, there wasn’t actually a lot of pics of curvier sewers wearing a Tacara. Naturally I needed about two nano seconds to realize I wanted one of my own. Even better there is a SPDB post coming up at the CSC so if you are a curvy sewer be ready for plenty of inspiration!
So, how did it work out? Well, lets just say this garment is now known as the Dress of a Hundred Alterations. At least I had the sense to make a muslin for once!
I made my first Tacara in a light rayon knit from Spotlight (good spotting, I have used it before ) While I ended up with a perfectly wearable dress, I felt like a bit of adjustment would make it much better.
The general consensus looking online is it comes up quite large, so I cut a size 16, adding 2 cm/1 inch to each sleeve as I was worried about cutting off circulation to my fingers! For reference my measurements are 44″/112 cm, 38″/99 cm & 48″/124 cm
Now, the pockets. Oh those pockets. I can only surmise this pattern was developed for someone with arms like my husband, loooong. Only he’s 6 ‘ 3″ and I’m not. They are crazy low. I literally had to stretch to get my mitts into them?
It all just felt (and looked) too big.
So, iteration two, this time in a gorgeous merino wool from The Fabric Store. I wont lie, I feel very spoilt having so many amazing fabric stores within easy reach, and to be able to treat myself occasionally.
Merino is a wonderful fabric, it breaths, drapes, keeps you warm & comes in the most glorious colours. It’s also quite spendy, so I didn’t want to mess this one up!
Alterations, I’ve made a few (in my head I’m hearing Frank singing My Way!) . First up, I sized down , cutting out a 14 ( I’m an accountant, I’m used to manipulating figures, but me a 14, really???) . I reduced the bicep adjustment to 1 cm/1/2 “, and raised the pockets by a whopping 10 cm/4.5 “. Then I got a bit trigger happy and shaved another 4 cm off the length. Which I then realized was a tad to much to achieve a nice chunky hem. I didn’t want to sacrifice too much length so we have a lovely knee grazing dress with an ABOMINATION of a hem. More waves than a day at the beach, I apologize profusely.
The sleeve actually needs to be reasonably snug, to balance the volume of the dress, but as someone who has suffered from the dreaded sausage arm syndrome, its a fine line, very dependent on your fabric. Make the muslin kids. Honestly.
Now, back to those bloody pockets (yes, I’d got a bit sweary by this stage). I was quite tempted to ditch them altogether. I’ve realized with the benefit of hindsight & a few wines the method described is probably perfect for use with a sewing machine, but for an overlocker (serger)? Not so much. After making an absolute Horlicks of my pockets, and unpicking them in a state of deeply bad karma, I found an online tutorial that made far more sense. Please save yourself the wine & do it this way.
I feel like this dress is a fabric version of Granddad’s hammer, new head, new handle, but it’s still his hammer right? I’ve altered so much of the pattern , but really to make it look like the picture & line drawings on the pattern which is what I liked so much in the first place!
While not without it’s tribulations, I’m actually really happy with the finished dress, its perfect for me at work, with boots & a cool scarf/necklace. It also works at the weekend over jeans , and I’ve realized with leggings, a big pashmina and slip on shoes this is THE travel outfit (when you live in NZ you travel LONG haul, it takes on a whole new meaning when you’re wearing something for over 24 hours to get to Europe)
Next up, a gorgeous Infinity scarf in this amazing Liberty jersey , I adore the colours and I love a scarf that doesn’t need lots of fiddling. I know it’s none of my beeswax but why do so many people wear black in winter when we have all these glorious colours & prints to wear??
Now, has anyone seen Tommy?
Have a great week!
Kristina X
This is a perfect dress! The style, color and panache you give it makes it so versatile. Regarding the hem, do you have enough fabric left to make a shaped hem for the current length or a banded hem if you want it longer?
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Thanks Susan, I may try a banded hem, just need to figure out if I have enough fabric (or I may just have to suck it up & pretend not to notice it!) 🙂
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OMG tears are running down my face! So funny! Great finished dress in the end … I’ll never touch a Seamwork pattern myself so kudos to you for sticking to it! Great color! And great cat on your head. Hehehe!
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Thanks Debbie, I’m glad I persevered, even if I was ready to throw it out the window at one point! Tommy is such a photo bomber, he just cant help himself…:)
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Your posts are always so much fun! Love the dress and the way you have styled it, and love the cat.
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Thank you! I do love writing them, glad you enjoy them too 🙂 x
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I enjoy your writings, so funny.
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Thank you!
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Love the dress on you, love your honest but funny posts, love the cat, (love the fence too), and I also wonder why so many people wear black when there are such gorgeous colours around to make us feel happy! Thanks for bringing a smile (and the odd chuckle too) to my day.
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Thanks so much Marlene, glad you enjoy the posts, I do have fun writing them (sometimes more fun than the actual sewing if I’m honest!:)
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Thank you so so so much for this. “Why on earth would I muslin a simple dress?” Well, thanks for answering that! This is a dress shape that I love that hasn’t loved me back, and this is going to help change that relationship. Also, the knit pocket in a seam (to the tune of “Pulling mussels from a shell”) tutorial is now on my hot list.
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Ha ha, thanks, yes, simple does not always end up being “simple”, but its worth persevering:)
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I love everything about this dress! Can’t wait to see the SPDB post…. it might prompt me to actually print out the pattern! I hear you about the colours – I think the only black in my wardrobe are leggings and tights!
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Thanks! Yes Im looking fwd to it too, I love seeing how differently people interprate the same pattern. Yay for colour & print 🙂
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You’re like my personal pattern tester!😂 I do appreciate the details about this pattern because I was just getting ready to tape the pattern together and cut it out! I would love to try merino wool jersey some day.
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Excellent, happy to help (we have very good taste in patterns too!) 🙂
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Your dress is lovely! How do you find the recovery on the merino fabric? I made a concord with merino from somewhere else and it has got wider and shorter over time.
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Hi there, I’ve actually found the recovery really good, I pre washed my fabric before sewing , and gentle nachine washed with wool wash , I’ve found the recovery goid so far👍
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