Review: Simplicity 1876, View A & B – The Tulip Dress
Create two unique party dresses with one pattern! This pattern is extremely well fitted and creates stunning dresses. The dress on the right is one of my favourite creations of all time.
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| Pattern: Simplicity 1876. View A (left): Fabric: Poplin (Spotlight); Lining: broadcloth (Spotlight). View B (right): Fabric: Taffeta (Spotlight); Lining: Pongee (Fabric Vision); Bracelet: Pandora; Watch: Enchanted Garden, Olivia Burton; Shoes: Shayna, Miz Mooz. |
What to love about this pattern
View A: Let me tell you something! The fit and shaping around the bust of this dress is to die for. The tie at the top and the gathering of the skirt at the waist up grades the style of this sheath dress to exotic. This dress would look fantastic in a tropical or Hawaiian print.
View B: This dress is also very well fitted from the bust to the waist. I have no problem with it falling down, unlike other strapless dresses. The petals on the skirt look incredible, it truly looks like a rosebud or tulip. This dress is a work of art!
What I don't like about this pattern
View A: Nada.
View B: The instructions are poor on how to properly place and sew the petals onto the skirt which is the most difficult part of the pattern. The notches on the petal pieces are also very similarly placed, so don't rely on them alone to match pieces. I attached the wrong pieces together twice.
This dress is also terrible to iron, which I think is side effect of the interfacing. I recommend making this dress in a light weight fabric with drape, which doesn't wrinkle as easily, such as silk.
Changes that I made
View A: I didn't add boning to this dress to make it more comfortable. I also made the hem longer than the pattern recommends.
View B: I made this dress just as the pattern intended with a few technical differences.
View B: The instructions are poor on how to properly place and sew the petals onto the skirt which is the most difficult part of the pattern. The notches on the petal pieces are also very similarly placed, so don't rely on them alone to match pieces. I attached the wrong pieces together twice.
This dress is also terrible to iron, which I think is side effect of the interfacing. I recommend making this dress in a light weight fabric with drape, which doesn't wrinkle as easily, such as silk.
Changes that I made
View A: I didn't add boning to this dress to make it more comfortable. I also made the hem longer than the pattern recommends.
View B: I made this dress just as the pattern intended with a few technical differences.
What I could have done better
View A: Nada.
View A: Nada.
View B: I underestimated how delicate this fabric was. It can't handle gathering stitches or unpicking. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of not sewing the gathering stitch into the seam allowance at the waistline. You can see tiny puncture holes in some areas at the waistline, luckily this is covered by the belt tie.
Difficulty
View A: This dress is simple to make and the instructions are quite good.
View B: This view is more challenging, which isn't helped by vague pattern instructions in some areas. For those who might have difficulty with this pattern, I'm making a tutorial on how to make it! I will be posted on my blog soon. I encourage you sew along with it.
View B: This view is more challenging, which isn't helped by vague pattern instructions in some areas. For those who might have difficulty with this pattern, I'm making a tutorial on how to make it! I will be posted on my blog soon. I encourage you sew along with it.
The Verdict
View A: This pattern is a must for anyone preparing for a summer event or who want a sheath dress with mobility.
View B: This dress looks couture without the price tag! I'm really proud of how this dress looks and all the effort I put into making it.
- Instruction Clarity: 5/5. The instructions for this View are clear and practical.
- Fit: 5/5. Well fitted and feels comfy.
- Design Elegance: 4.5/5. Simple and versatile style. This dress doesn't have the razzle dazzle in terms of design that View B has.
- Final Product: 5/5. A well fitted, easy to sew and wear summer dress.
- Overall: 4.9/5. Fun to sew and to wear.
View B: This dress looks couture without the price tag! I'm really proud of how this dress looks and all the effort I put into making it.
- Instruction Clarity: 3/5. The instructions for the skirt for View B were quite poor. Luckily my tutorial will help you through this.
- Fit: 5/5. Lovely fit, combined with the boning and interfacing, there's no chance this dress will slip off. I recommend wearing a padded strapless bra to fill out the dress nicely.
- Design Elegance: 5/5. View B is extravagant and exactly what I love in dresses.
- Final Product: 5/5. These dresses are very well fitted and look way more expensive than they are.
- Overall: 4.5/5. This View is fantastic, even if the instructions are flawed. I recommend this pattern to all women who love party and extravagant dresses.
Overall I highly recommend this pattern! You can make at least two unique dresses for the price of one pattern. View A is best for newer dressmakers, but View B is my favourite for its sheer extravagance.
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