Oh to be like Jackie O!

This is the Brasilia Dress by House of Pinheiro.  A Jackie O inspired sheath dress that Rachel produced for the Fall for Cotton sew-along.

When I first saw Rachel's dress I thought it was to die for.  The inward darts at the bust are so unique - don't they just give the best shape to the dress.

I found this cotton sateen at the Fabric Barn in Lower Hutt.  I really wasn't sure about fabric until this one jumped off the shelf and into my arms!  I've used a solid black cotton to highlight the side insets, and to balance it up I've used the solid black along the hem as well.  I love the result, it gives my rectangular body shape the illusion of a curvy waist - yay me.

please ignore my sunburn lines - too much sun wearing my t-shirt.

The pattern came in one size, to match Rachel's measurements.  Luckily the waist and hips I didn't need to adjust but unfortunately I am not a C cup bust :(    I did my first SBA (small bust adjustment), reducing the bust by .5" and moved the apex of the darts by measuring the distance between the apex of each breast.  This worked out perfectly.

Because Rachel is so tall I had to remove some length from the torso area.  This felt a little strange because usually I have to add in length on most other patterns because of my height.  Anyway I removed 1.5" from the torso in addition to the .5" that was removed with the SBA.

I over complicated things a little trying to get the side insert correct after the SBA and removal of length and I've ended up with the front of the armhole looking a bit weird.  To overcome this I applied the bias binding so it formed a visable band around the armhole.  The weirdness is only noticeable when I move my arms backwards or stick my boobs out too far!

a weird armhole shape goin on!

I dropped the front neckline by .5" which is just a personal preference for me - I like things to sit under my collar bone.

The black band around the bottom was cut 2" deep and folded in half and applied to the hem as you would a bias binding.  This gives the dress an appropriate length that I could wear to the office without feeling like I was bearing too much leg!

The pattern recommended an invisible zipper but I thought for my fabric and blocking of colour it would be nice to do an exposed zipper - I love this feature, although I can't see it once I've got the dress on.

Usually I line ALL my dresses, but I decided not to line the Brasilia.  It is very comfy and fits like a glove.  It will be ideal for those hot summer days in the office.

I was a bit late to the pattern testing party (yay instagram), but I am so pleased Rachel allowed me to test her pattern.  Overall I love it and would definitely consider making another one.

If you are interested in stitching up this dress, it is due to be released on Christmas Day.  Keep an eye on Rachel's blog

More photos on my Flickr -->