Improvisional pleating on an assymetrical splitted dress

I am almost incapable of sewing a pattern 100% as it was intended. I am a pathological pattern flipper. Not surprisingly, I love the Flip this pattern concept of Frances Suzanne. I have followed along the previous season, but last month's Free flip was the first time I actually participated. This month we are challenged to flip the Boardwalk pattern from Peek-a-Boo patterns. With this pattern you can either sew a sweater or a dress in knit, so a versatile pattern on its own already. I flipped the pattern while keeping the elements I loved, the contrasting front button closure and a centre gathering of the front skirt.

A bit over a week ago I wrote that I love knit, and even coined the non-existing word knitification to describe me flipping a woven pattern to a knit dress. This week I went the opposite direction, I took the knit pattern and flipped it to a woven dress. I determined the right size by measuring the pattern against an already cut pattern piece of a well fitting woven dress. It turned out I needed a 2T for my three year old. Last month I saw an asymmetrical front appearing in one of my facebook groups. If I remember well, the original pattern is from a recent Knippie, but I do not know which one. I incorporated the asymmetrical concept (or at least what I remember from it) in this months pattern flip. I made a photo to show you how I drew my asymmetrical line. I first drew the complete the original bodice pattern, the horizontal line is the proposed bodice split in the boardwalk pattern. I simply pulled a diagonal line through the middle cross, this way I had the same distance  from the neckline to put the two buttons on.

To spice up my flip, and to try a new technique I used StraightGrains improvisional pleating tutorial to make a vertically pleated bodice. StraightGrain released a fourth pleating tutorial last week, putting her original pleating tutorials back on my radar. After origami pleating the fabric I actually ironed some stabilizer on the wrong side of the pleats. I feared that only stitching would not keep it in place enough, especially because the pleats are relatively long on the longest part of the bodice. The stabilizer is invisible and will keep the pleats in place for sure.

I did not wanted a gathered back piece, and to add some width I simply flared out the skirt part of the dress. I added pockets, just because I can, every dress should have pockets, new protocol.

The fabrics are both from the Shape of Spring collection of Cloud9, which I bought at modes4u.com last year. Although they are woven, the fabric has some horizontal stretch, or at least I feel it has. I hemmed the dress with a strip of the teal circle fabric. I had seen it here, and I loved the effect.

I assumed that the front buttons would create enough space to fit my daughters head, but it didn't. Therefore I added small split in the back bodice as well. I did not use the optimal technique (as usual I was too lazy to check the web how to do it exactly and simply used a technique I had seen for knit fabrics), but I am still satisfied with the result. I went for an alternative closing, by putting two flower button and a small elastic that is fixated on one side and is intended to be spread around both buttons. I have probably seen it somewhere once, but I can not remember where.

The front buttons are Kam snaps that I ordered in the US due to the birthday of a friend. I love their shape and have been searching for a project for a while on which I could put them to good use. I have not found them anywhere in the Netherlands, or Belgium, if you know an online store please tell me. If there is indeed not another store, some of you might also would like to have a few. I only ordered the flower caps, so I do not have matching sockets and studs, but I am willing to give away 100 different colored flower caps. Just mention you wanting to get them in a comment. If more than one person is interested I will come up with a way to choose a random lucky receiver. Due to the fact you can easily order them in the US (and I conveniently decide to forget the rest of the world) I only send them for free to someone located in Europe.

My middle daughter was still recovering from a cold and therefore looks a bit pale and has a bit watery eyes, but she bravely gave me some smiles.

I love to hear what you think of my creations. Feel free to leave a comment in the language you prefer (although Google translate might have to assist me if you choose something different than English, German, Dutch or Hungarian).