I made View C. When you read that it is difficult to make and challenging — believe it. I’m pleased with the gown and it is certainly comfortable to wear (NO CORSET) but, it took a lot of work to get those sleeves right. All of the appliqués were painted by hand and attached by hand. They are copied from Art Nouveau designs.
Rated 5 out of 5
Heidi Schultz –
The only problem I had with this pattern was that the top did not fit. The bodice pieces were far far far to short for me, which I think is because I have a D-cup chest. If I were flatter-chested, it would have been perfect. Lengthening the bodice and pulling in the raised waist line was not difficult to do, and after that everything went together like a dream. The sleeve even fit right! Most of the time I have to redo sleeve pattern to accommodate my pudgy little arms, but this pattern is perfect for that. I actually took them in a little, as I wanted a tighter look to the lower arm. Since I used this pattern to more or less copy an original garment, I modified the neck line and added fullness and a train to the underskirt. None of these changes were difficult, and the skirt was drafted in such a way as to place the seams at the perfect points for a train. Whatever you end up doing with the pattern, it’s a great place to start from, just be prepared to do an extra muslin if you have a larger chest!
Rated 4 out of 5
Maura Burns –
I made the View C Underdress (overdress to come) out of a sage green silk dupioni. It was, indeed, full of fiddly bits, and the finished result seems rather shapeless and shroud-like, even over a petticoat. I think it does look beautiful from the waist up, and hopefully the overdress will disguise the shapelessness in the skirt. The sleeves are beautiful and were more time-consuming than difficult. It looks as if despite my best efforts, I got a bit off grain in the tucks on one sleeve, and it does twist unattractively. Attaching the collar to the bodice was teeth-grinding, as was attaching the skirt to the bodice (which is constructed with a high-waist outer layer over a natural-waist lining).
Sue Toorans –
I made View C. When you read that it is difficult to make and challenging — believe it. I’m pleased with the gown and it is certainly comfortable to wear (NO CORSET) but, it took a lot of work to get those sleeves right. All of the appliqués were painted by hand and attached by hand. They are copied from Art Nouveau designs.
Heidi Schultz –
The only problem I had with this pattern was that the top did not fit. The bodice pieces were far far far to short for me, which I think is because I have a D-cup chest. If I were flatter-chested, it would have been perfect. Lengthening the bodice and pulling in the raised waist line was not difficult to do, and after that everything went together like a dream. The sleeve even fit right! Most of the time I have to redo sleeve pattern to accommodate my pudgy little arms, but this pattern is perfect for that. I actually took them in a little, as I wanted a tighter look to the lower arm. Since I used this pattern to more or less copy an original garment, I modified the neck line and added fullness and a train to the underskirt. None of these changes were difficult, and the skirt was drafted in such a way as to place the seams at the perfect points for a train. Whatever you end up doing with the pattern, it’s a great place to start from, just be prepared to do an extra muslin if you have a larger chest!
Maura Burns –
I made the View C Underdress (overdress to come) out of a sage green silk dupioni. It was, indeed, full of fiddly bits, and the finished result seems rather shapeless and shroud-like, even over a petticoat. I think it does look beautiful from the waist up, and hopefully the overdress will disguise the shapelessness in the skirt. The sleeves are beautiful and were more time-consuming than difficult. It looks as if despite my best efforts, I got a bit off grain in the tucks on one sleeve, and it does twist unattractively. Attaching the collar to the bodice was teeth-grinding, as was attaching the skirt to the bodice (which is constructed with a high-waist outer layer over a natural-waist lining).