since this is a simplicity pattern, obviously the details are relatively basic. the front bodice has gathers at the neckline instead of darts. the back bodice has a fold-over facing. the skirt is a simple tea-length flare, while the waist band pieces are straight pieces cut on a bodice so they can be folded over and shaped.
the first change kenneth and i made after we adjusted the measurements was to make the gathers into tucks. we both agreed that it was simple, more elegant and more decorative.
in addition to shortening the skirt, kenneth (and a little bit me) re-drafted it entirely, first creating a skirt moulage (in about 10 minutes–who even knew that was possible?) and then teaching me how to close the darts to add flare. i wanted to preserve the fullness of the back skirt, but without gathers, which i felt would be bulky and also not noticeable enough–i feared they would look more like an accident than a design detail. so kenneth tried to teach me how to draft pleats.
it didn’t work. kenneth ended up drafting the pleats (correctly) for me.
also, because i was working with leather, which does not have a bias grain, we needed to re-draw the waist band pieces. this we accomplished by tracing the line of the waist and making two bands of different widths for the same effect.
i plan on completing the back bodice with leather-covered buttons from pat, but for now i have these beauties from pacific trim. although i am regretting my decision not to interface the back denim panel…
but still, j’ai fini … (in the right tense now!)
voila!
It’s a very nice dress. Thanks to share the way you grade it to your measurments. I have some vintage pattern to grade to. But I never find the courage to do so yet…
But, please, write : ” j’ai fini… Voilà !” instead of : “je suis finie” that mean your close to be dead more than anything else… ;-(
My english is really bad, so I feel wrong to correct your french, but it’s so strange. And I didn’t find a way to send you a mail or a private message about this. I will delete my comment as soon as you change this strange sentence.
And be welcome in Paris for your next trip!
Pascale
please correct my french if it is wrong, pascale
thank you for your comment!
Could you show us what the back of the dress looks like?
I’ve been looking for a pattern for a modern dress with a bustle like detail. I was very excited to come across your blog. It looks like Simplicity 2099 has everything I have been looking for. But now there is the issue of it being a vintage pattern I have looked everywhere on the net for another simplicity 2099 pattern with no success Do you have any suggestions on how to find one? Do you sell copies of your customized patterns. I only sew once every few years when I get an idea of something I really want. I’m not accomplished enough to create my own pattern
i am planning on posting a photo of the back, never fear!
i happened to find this pattern during a lucky search on etsy. if you are looking for something similar, because i know finding this exact simplicity 2099 is difficult, try doing a broader search for 1940s dress patterns or 1940s simplicity patterns using an interface like picclick. in the past few days alone i have seen 2 or 3 dress patterns that incorporated many of the same design elements that make S2099 so appealing–i actually had to stop myself from buying them, because when i looked at the pattern pieces, i saw the similarity. look for a dropped waist, a bustle detail, or a waist band. this may help you find a garment that will get you the same results. good luck!