New Look 6573 – Cape and Dress

Paul saw this cape in a window display in the wool shop in Cleckheaton. It was a Sunday, so shut at the time, but he liked it so much he rang up on Monday and bought the pattern. It has taken me a while to get around to, but I have finally made it!! To be honest it doesn’t look anything like it did in the window display on the pattern.

I actually liked the dress as much, if not more than, the cape. So when I was looking for fabric for the cape, I also bought some for the dress.

I have used a faux suede for the cape. When it arrived, I decided it was too ‘light’ and not enough for the cape, which is just a single layer piece, hemmed all the way around. So I ordered some more faux suede in a contrasting colour to make it double thickness and reversible!

For the dress my eye was drawn to a snakeskin ‘crepe scuba’. Not my normal thing at all! But the fabric was black/grey (which IS my thing). The first suede I picked for the cape was purple (my favourite), but the contrast I got was grey, so either way it would go with the dress.

I made the cape first. As I said, it is a single pattern piece, cut partly on the fold. I either hadn’t read the pattern properly, or looked at the fabric width on-line, as I bought 3m, and only needed 1.6m! As a single piece it is large so I needed to cut out on the living room floor instead of the dining room table, which killed my knees!!! It actually took quite a long time to sew all the way around the edges, trim and turn, and then to iron the seams neat and top stitch. I think it looks a bit too much like a graduation gown, but I think it will grow on me (not literally). Paul loves it!

The dress has been a different nightmare. Sizing again. I really need to spend time to think about this next time, or maybe do what you are meant to and make a toile (a practice version in cheap fabric). I cut out the 14… big 4 patterns always used to need to be 2 sizes bigger than bought clothes in the UK, and is in between bust and waist sizes for me. And I thought the scuba would be a bit forgiving due to the stretch. However, I think I should have gone smaller due to the stretch.

I had sewed darts, and made the pockets (YES it has pockets!!), and joined all the main dress seams AND the zip down the back and then when I tried it on it was HUGE!! Because the pockets are in the front (a bit like a muff!) it was going to be hard to adjust those seams. So I completely unpicked and moved the bust darts and took some in the front side seams as far as the pockets, made the back darts much bigger, and took in at about half an inch down the side seams. This was still a bit big, so I took almost another inch in down both side seams!! Huge adjustments, I definitely made the wrong size, but it roughly fits now!!

I overlocked all the seams to neaten (and trim off all the excess!) and then left it for a few days before tackling the sleeve fitting…

The sleeves weren’t too bad though. I checked the fit to the armhole, and the seam allowance needed to be 4.5cm instead of 1.5cm under the arm, but I tapered this down to the cuff.

This is what it looks like!! Not too bad. I think it will look better with some good boots on!!