Sewing : New Look 6457 Strap Dress

Since most of my fabrics on my stash are limited, I only bought 2m of fabrics these days (unless I have a plan on using the fabric for a specific projects). I decided to make a muslin / toile and as expected I have to take in few inches on the bust area and shorten the bodice - 2 1/2”. I still have to learn how to read the finished measurement on the pattern, is it reliable? I like my bodice to be a little roomy for bloated-tummy-days.
I was undecided whether to make look A (tube dress) or B (strap dress), so I went to Instagram and looked for the hashtags and saw a lot of people made the look B compared to A. I was really into A, but then I saw the instructions stated that the elastic band are needed on the bust to keep it stay in place; that changed my mind instantly - I’m really not a fan of elastic especially on my bust.



I was thinking about adding bra pads on the dress, since my bra strap didn’t fit in that well with the strap on the dress. So I needed to cut extra fabrics for the lining on the bodice, but I ran out of fabrics, thankfully I have some red cotton lining on my stash.





Then as I hit the last few steps, I realised that I can’t zip/unzip this dress without my husband’s help, so I move the zipper to the left to make zipping easier for me. I still keep the pocket on the right side. Then the next problem is I have to sew the back and try to match the line.

All in all, I took a lot of time contemplating on the changes that need to be made and trying to finish it before my birthday. Part of me feels like giving up on this project, but being a persistent Taurus - that can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. I did made all the changes and I'm glad I did that.

I bought the fabric when I went to Kuching earlier this year. We just walked around on the street that lead to a row of fabric shops and I found this shop that sell cute cotton prints, so I bought this stripe fabric along with the cherry polkadot fabric (which I had no idea what to make yet).







Sewing Summary :

Pattern: New Look 6457, look A.
Fabric: Japanese Cotton that I bought from Kuching earlier this year.
Notions: Thread, invisible zipper and bra pads from old bikini.
Alterations: I made adjustable strap, instead of the normal strap.
Difficulty: Easy, the instruction is easy to follow too.
Make another one: Yes.
Notes: Make a toile and took out few inches on the back bodice, shorten the bodice and skirt. Lining was needed to cover the bra pads sewn to the bodice.