In Retro Specs: X-Static

A pattern from 1966, the year of my birth: "Misses one-piece dress in two lengths: The dress with halter-type neckline haas back interest and zipper. Ankle-length v.1 has back neck band, bow and straps. Regular-length V. 2 has criss-crossed straps in backs." I sewed view 2, the dress with the criss-crossed back.

Size: Miss 14, Bust 34

I purchased this pattern either from etsy or ebay. I liked the criss cross back and cutaway sleeveless look. I wanted to sew an outfit that I would definitely wear and yet still straightforward to sew with little or no fitting issues, instead of something that is more time consuming due to many steps involved.

Back of envelope:

First version: I used a cotton/twill? (from EmmaOneSock.com) type with little stretch. The circles print and shades are woven into the fabric.

Second version: A Michael Miller cotton fabric from Fabric.com

The first dress (the gray one) did not fit properly and the color just did not suit me. I could not zip it all the way up, and the bodice was long for me, because I did not do my usual petite adjustment. I put it aside and tried another pattern (a Simplicity dress from 1965) and I will not mention how that turned out.

So I returned to this pattern, and this time remembered to reduce the bodice by 1" at the waistline mark, and add 3/8" to the front center seam, the center back, the neckline, and the top of the back strap. I also adjusted the placement of the front diagonal darts since due to my petite adjustment at the waistline. Now I am much happier!

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Original Review

The directions are simple to follow, and the accompanying illustrations are very helpful. The directions for view 1 and view 2 are identical except that view 1 has the neckband with facings and the uncrossed back straps with a bow whereas view 2 has no neckband and the criss-crossed straps. I followed the directions with the exception of sewing the darts before the other steps. The only changes I made to the pattern is adding 3/8 to the sides and 3/8" to the shoulders. I wish I had included my usual petite adjustment (1" at the bodice). There are occasions where I was able to get by without the adjustment. Not all patterns are created equally. I also used French seams for a nicer finish inside and also due to the fraying nature of this fabric.

The only thing that was unclear was the placement of the buttonholes. There were no markings on the back piece and none on the back facing. I assumed from the directions that the angled buttonholes were located on the back, about an inch or so from the start of the back vertical darts. However, it made sense to sew the buttonhole through the back facing so that the button located on the end of each strap is inserted from the inside of the dress to the outside. Otherwise, I would not know what to do with a back facing turned upwards!

Neck band with facing (four pieces which I really did not need for View 2, the dress with the criss-cross back), front facing (largest one),straps, and back facing (two pieces).

I used a red pencil to mark the darts. For the front "diagonal" darts, I folded the tissue along the center of the dart, pinned it down, and traced one side (the printed dots and stitch lines) so that is symmetric with respect to the ones printed on the pattern tissue. Then I removed the other tissue and drew the other half. Excuse my lack of eye-hand coordination shown in my marks.

Here are my two back pieces with the vertical darts.

Here is the back with my "invisible zipper". Actually this looked better than the one I applied on a 1970;s McCall's dress that I recently made. With more practice, I will master attaching the I.Z. I referred to a very helpful tutorial from somebody's flickr album.

With my trustworthy assistant, I sewed on the front and back facings, using a 5/8" seam. I had to be careful not to "catch" the straps that I basted onto the right sides of the front shoulders.

I "graded" or trimmed the seams, snip the curves, and turned the facing inside out. Out came the straps. Mr. Procter Silex helped me with seam-pressing to avoid those unwanted puffs and waves at the neckline and armholes. I sewed on the buttonholes at the back and attached a button to the end of each strap. I used French seams for the center front and side seams. I finished the edges of the zipper to minimize the fraying from the fabric. All what's left is the bottom hem.