Today, I’m finally able to show you something sewn again, namely the dress Camille Sheath from the book Gertie’s Charmed Sewing Studio. A dress that I absolutely had to have as soon as I saw it for the first time in a post by Gertie on Instagram.
These are the photos of Gertie’s Camille Sheath:
However, my version is more or less just a wearable sample dress. Although I find the fabric quite beautiful, unfortunately it does not suit me. Somehow it even gives the dress a dirndl touch, which suits me even less – a northern girl from the Baltic Sea! 😉
Camille Sheath – the front
The reason why I first made it in this fabric, and in its entirety, is the construction of this dress. The neckline pleats are created by elastic bands on the inside of the dress, and I had my doubts about the fit. I also couldn’t accurately assess the extent to which the weight of the skirt (my own design) played a role in the overall look.
Camille Sheath – inside – detail of construction
And unfortunately, I was a little bit right!
The sides of the neckline are getting pulled down a little too much in this version and therefore don’t fit as nicely as I would have liked. They also tend to reveal my bra strap when I move, which is something I personally don’t like at all. If I leave the elastic bands longer, however, there are no real pleats in the neckline and the detail of this dress, which I think is so beautiful, is lost and the neckline is too wide. Hmpf!
Camille Sheath – the back
I also noticed that the back straps feel to be placed a little too far out. But I think I have a solution…
Since I always have to take width out on both sides when making my standard adjustments, I came up with the following idea for another attempt:
Maybe I’ll just try removing the excess width from the centre of the front and back instead of the sides. That would at least move the straps further inwards in general. I also imagine that this might improve the drape of the neckline, as the front straps would no longer sit quite so far out on my body. But as I said, I’ll have to try it out first.
Otherwise, I really like the look of this pattern! I just have to see what the changes I’m considering will do for the fit on my body. If it doesn’t work, I’ll be devastated!
from Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DNz7KRjWqP8/?img_index=1