Simplicity 2444 in tape measure print

I have admired the Simplicity 2444 pattern from afar for a long while, and have had it queuing up in my pattern box for over a year. I've finally got round to giving it a go, and I can see why it is so popular.

When I went up to visit my dad in Leeds over the Easter holidays, I took some fabric and the pattern to do some fit work on. In dad's loft is my Nanna's old (and hardly used!) beautiful Pfaff 260 machine, which I've been meaning to try for years, and I'm so glad we finally got it out and got it running again. Blooming heck is it heavy though!!!

It wasn't all plain sailing: first there was The Traumatic Incident of the Dead Bird in the Loft, and then the Tedious Hunt for the Foot Pedal, but we got there in the end. Also the machine was so heavy that we had to winch it down from the loft on a rope! It was so worth it though. I gave it a bit of a clean, threaded it up and checked all the settings, then away we went!! Luckily we found the manual and the box of accessories with the foot pedal (which finally revealed itself amid a bookcase of drill bits, old picture frames and quality street tins filled with mysterious contents), so once I'd checked all the tension settings etc I got going on sewing up my toile.

I usually have to do an FBA on most patterns, so I was slightly nervous approaching the fit of this bodice with it's double diagonal darts. I was considering rotating out one of the darts to do an FBA but I thought I'd make up a straight size first to see the lie of the land, so to speak. 

I'm really glad I did this, as the fit wasn't far off and only needed a few tweaks! I traced a size 16 (closest finished bust and waist measurements to what I wanted), and made the following adjustments:

- took each side seam in 1/8"

- raised shoulders 5/8"

- redrew neckline

- took two wedges of excess out of the front neckline to eliminate gaping 

- created back neckline darts, again because of gaping 

- lowered back neckline 

- reshaped the front darts to be curved 

- took a tiny wedge of excess out of front armsyces 

I have no idea whether I have done this fitting work "the correct way". I suspect that would have been to start with a size 14, rotate the dart and do an FBA. But my way was simpler and it worked. The fit looks and feels great now, and I know this will be a very useful bodice pattern. I really love the diagonal darts. 

So, the fit was sorted, and a few weeks later I got round to cutting out my dress. And I had my first proper sewing accident. Half of a pin went all the way into my foot, followed by a panic stricken 10 minutes when I couldn't find the other half, and I was convinced it was still in my foot (it wasn't, I found it in the end). So, that wasn't my favourite. It makes me go funny just remembering it. 

I was marking the skirt pleats, and the way I do it is on the carpeted floor, I stick pins vertically through the pattern paper at the ends of each pleat line, pull the paper off then mark between the pins. Only I got to the marking stage and my marking pen wasn't to hand, so I got up to find it, tripped and landed on one heel with all my weight. On top of a vertical pin. I now know that the pin broke and most of it went straight into my heel. I'm so glad a bit was still sticking out otherwise I'd have had to root around in my foot with tweezers (ew!!). Anyway, all is good, but it's made me extra cautious now with pins!!! 

Yep. The larger bit was aaaaaall the way inside my foot, with just the pointy bit sticking out 

Wow. I've written so much and in this saga I haven't even sewn a stitch yet. Luckily the sewing part went pretty swimmingly. Let's have an actual look at the dress, eh? 

Stern and Tragical dress (Simplicity 2444)

Ahhh fun fun fun! 

Now, the only thing I don't like about this pattern is the skirt pleats. Glad I went through the drama with the pin in the foot then. Ha. I like them in theory, but I don't really like how they sit. I think it is because they are diagonal, but the skirt obviously wants to drape straight down, so the pleat direction is fighting the drape direction. Which I think makes it look.... I don't know, messy? So I know I will use the bodice again, I love the lines and I'm really happy with the fit, but with a different skirt. 

Congratulations if you made it to the end! Thanks for sticking with me! Here are some more pictures of my new dress. 

And one more picture, only because I think I'm pulling a face where I look like my mum. <3