Comments on: Pattern Review ~ Bubble Dress

By: melissa

melissa — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:50:22 +0000

I just finished this dress…and what a pain it was for me. Mine- with modifications did turn out to have the bubble look. I shortened the lining so the elastic and the bottom was way up underneith and the bottom was forced to bubble. I also made the back have two long pieces to tie- rather than buttons. I added 3 rows of ruffles to the front of the top portion. (didnt do the wavey edges on the sides- just straight) I found this patteren to be difficult and confusing. I bought enough fabric to make two- but going to look for a better pattern for my second. I think it should have 3 scissors for more difficult~

By: Linda Gayle

Linda Gayle — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 03:30:14 +0000

That is a lovely dress. I loved the pattern. It is smart to keep the left sleeve a bit more open for your girl. Hope there was no serious injury

By: jennifer bowen

jennifer bowen — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 02:01:54 +0000

its so cute

By: Arnikka

Arnikka — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 23:36:17 +0000

Hi Wendy,
In working on bubble dresses for adult women as well as studying the construction of a Lacroix bubble gown from the eighties(in order to work on the bubble gowns I was making) Its been my experience that in addition to adding under layers of tulle, if you want more oomph you will also need to shorten the length of the lining skirt more than might have been instructed in the pattern before attaching it to the outer fabric’s skirt. that will get rid of some of the length of the dress and automatically provide more volume and more bubble effect as the outer fabric is gathered under in order to meet with the lining skirt. I’ve also found that dresses like the illustration on the package actually work better with outer fabrics that are lighter rather than heavier. It’s the lining that might need a little more meat to it. You have to end up viewing the lining as the foundation upon which the volume of the outer skirt is built upon. I would also agree with everyone else, the scallops are kind of odd.

By: Liesl

Liesl — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:32:37 +0000

Wendy, thanks for your thoughtful review of this pattern! Here are a few follow-up comments and clarifications:

You were sewing from a draft of the final pattern, and the stars that were missing on your copy were corrected for the actual printing of the pattern. However, the dots on the bodice were, indeed, missing and will be added to our errata on the Oliver + S website: http://www.oliverands.com. So thank you for pointing out that mistake! There are many, many detailed components to sewing patterns, and although we do our best to catch everything, we appreciate it when our customers (and reviewers!) point out any errors so we can correct them for future printings and for updates on the errata pages of our website.

Please note, also, that the actual patterns are printed on a heavy 20 lb. tissue paper, which I prefer over the usual lightweight 7-lb. tissue that you see in most patterns. It’s very easy to work with, doesn’t tear like the lightweight tissue, and makes for an easier time of sewing. Your draft of the pattern was printed on heavy white paper, which I think is more difficult to handle but is the only paper available at my local printer for early copies of patterns.

This patterns is rated a “two scissors” difficulty, meaning that it’s a bit more advanced as a result of the curves in the pattern. I wouldn’t
recommend it as a first pattern for beginning sewers, but we’ve written the instructions to help guide you through each step as carefully as
possible. I have taken note of your concern regarding more detailed instructions about clipping the curves and will add some additional information about this to the glossary we include with each pattern. (I teach my sewing students to trim the seam allowances to a scant 1/4″, which works equally well and is how factories handle curves in production. Although the instructions mention this, I think I should clarify or explain a bit more, like you suggest.)

Regarding the fabric itself, I’ve found that this pattern works especially well in very light-weight fabrics like Liberty cottons and voile as well as in standard quilting cottons. Although I hadn’t intended it to bubble out in a very grand manner, you certainly could add tulle in between the fabric and the lining if you wanted more body. My only concern would be for the comfort of the wearer; I’m not sure my own daughter would care for any extra bulk in her dress, as is might restrict movement. The other thing you could try is to shorten the elastic a bit, which would bubble the skirt a bit more, provided it didn’t restrict walking and running.

The dress can also be sewn, as mentioned by another commenter, without the scalloped edges. I intended the scallops to add a little dimension to the skirt without sticking out on the sides, and that’s why they’re sewn toward the back of the skirt.

In any case, thank you again for the time and thought you put into this review.

Best wishes,
Liesl
http://www.oliverands.com
http://www.disdressed.blogspot.com

By: April

April — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:34:50 +0000

I guess I don’t see how it looks different from the drawing on the package?

I think it’s a cute little dress.. if it bubbled more I think it would be a bit too much.
Though I prefer the dress without the scallops (which is an option with the pattern).

By: Wendy

Wendy — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:27:20 +0000

When I said heavier weight fabric, I meant don’t waste your time with an inexpensive cotton calico! I’m horrible with knowing my fabrics, and just think something with some weight and stiffness to it will work better. The actual suggestions on the package are “light-to-med weight woven fabrics like cotton broadcloth, batiste, calico, lightweight linen, lightweight denim, chambray, or seersucker.” For the lining, pattern suggests “very light weight woven fabrics.”
Thank you all for your wonderful comments. I felt a little sheepish about the design comments, but felt the need to be honest!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:59:19 +0000

Thanks for the helpful review. My impression is that this pattern requires a lot of fuss for a mediocre result. And I agree with the other commenter that the scallops on the sides look very weird. The price is so high for limited sizes per pattern, to make a single dress.

By: Christine

Christine — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:20:00 +0000

That is too cute! What a great dress for a little one.

By: Rachelle

Rachelle — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 04:26:23 +0000

I agree that the dress should just stick to having the bubble with out the side scallops- and it is a little long. But your dress looks so cute on and I love the fabric you picked. When you say heavy weight fabric- does that mean a home dec weight? or would quilting fabric be sturdy enough?