[sasha]

I am using the fairy tale dress pattern to make a dress for my slim and small chested sister. With some adjustments and a little change up to the neckline the size 12 works quite well. I was wondering if anyone knew how to adjust the skirt part to make it look more similar to this dress. http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/dresses/Day/PRDOVR~58579/58579.jsp

Is it just less fullness or is it slightly angled in at the bottom?

Thanks for your help!

[Liesl Gibson]

It appears to be much less full than the Fairy Tale, which is designed to be very full. The skirt is still basically a rectangle, but just not as wide a rectangle as the pattern has. I’d recommend that you add about 12″-14″ to your sister’s hip measurement and use that total measurement as the width of the rectangle. In other words, if her hip is 36″, make the full rectangle 48″-50″, or 24″-25″ for the front rectangle and 24″-25″ for the back rectangle (plus seam allowances).

If anyone else is looking for that same silhouette, you could certainly achieve it with the Lisette Continental Dress (http://oliverands.com/lisette-patterns/OLV-U02209.html). The skirt is already not very full but could be made still less full. And if you do a dart manipulation (http://www.creativebug.com/workshops/dart-manipulation), you could move them into the side seam the way the dress in the link does.

I hope that helps!

[sasha]

That is so helpful. Thank you! I will have to get the Continental Dress pattern and do one for myself. We have very different figures.

[meleliza]

Ooo, I’m not the only one constantly striving for a jcrew knock off then? 😉