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Cashmerette - Upton Dress - 1101

Cashmerette - Upton Dress

I made this sequin dress to wear to the opening night of my amateur theatre groups production of Priscilla Queen of the Desert in 2021. I was the costume designer and wanted to wear something very special. 



Cashmerette has a dress perfect for formal wear. In the original pattern you get the pleated skirt or panelled skirt with a sleeveless bodice which has bust and waist darts for shaping. 

Upton Dress



In the extra expansion pack you can add options for sleeves, princess seams, skirt lengths and different necklines. 
Expansion Pack


Upton 1105 expansion pack
Mix and match your way to a wardrobe of beautiful dresses and skirts with the Upton Dress & Skirt plus Mix & Match Expansion Pack! This pattern features multiple bodice, skirt, sleeve, and neckline options for hundreds (yes, hundreds!) of possible dresses—or the one dress you’ve been dreaming about your whole life. From brunch to cocktails to weddings, this single pattern can do it all!

The "Full Pattern" option includes the original Upton Dress pieces, which are necessary for this pattern.
Upton dress 1101
Make a statement in the Upton Dress, the most versatile pattern in your stash! This gorgeous fit-and-flare dress is tailored to your curves with flattering necklines, a fully lined bodice, and hidden pockets. Even better, the design is in your hands, as you choose from a scooped or V-neck, high or low back, and a gored skirt or deep, dramatic box-pleats. Let your creativity shine, while the Upton takes you from brunch to cocktails in style!

0 - 16 and 12 - 32, all sizes have cup options in three sizes (C/D, E/F, G/H). Paper or PDF. 

My version is the princess seam, sleeveless bodice with round neckline with high back. I added my own half circle skirt. Size 20 graded to 16 at the waist with G/H cup.

Cashmerette has since released a pattern for a panelled circle skirt that can be used with the Upton bodice. The Gilmore Skirt has curved panels and a waistband for a fit and flair. 


Cashmerette Club Gilmore Skirt


I made a toile of the Upton with the princess seams, long sleeves and the panelled skirt


The dress has a waistband as a feature. For my dress I didn't want any extra seam lines that were not necessary so I drafted the waistband onto the bodice.

Fit Changes
After making my first toile I took the side seam in 1/2” at the armholes, I removed 1” from the centre front fold which relocated my bust points to the correct position. I also made the armholes 1/2” smaller. 

The sequin fabric was stretch and the reversible sequins laid sideways to the stretch so if you ran your hand across your body from side to side the sequin would fold over to the silver side. This was very strange to me from a practical manufacturing point of view. I didn't need the fabric to stretch so I ironed interfacing to all the bodice pieces to remove the stretch.
I cut the bodice, matching the diamond plaid pattern of the rainbow sequins. 

I then had to painstakingly remove all the sequins from the seam allowance. The interfacing helped a lot to stabilise the base fabric left behind once the sequins were cut off. I used a curve bladed scalpel to accurately remove the sequins. 


Sequins removed from the seam lines

I did sew one princess seam of the back bodice without removing the sequins first and that made me decide to take the extra time to remove the sequins. 


I unpicked the seam, removed the sequins and resewed it. 

Sewn at princess seams and shoulder seam 

The one back princess seam I did not remove the sequins from did not press out as well. 

Armhole seam allowance

Attaching the bodice lining

The bodice is fully lined but the skirt is not lined. It wasn't necessary to line the skirt and would have used a lot of fabric.

The skirt is a half circle, I matched the centre front of the diamond plaid pattern to the centre front of the bodice. By using a half circle there is only the centre back seam to deal with. 

For the hem, which was long, I sewed a strip of black bias binding to the right side of the hem edge. I folded it to the wrong side, ironed then hand sewed it down. 





 
The lining is hand sewn to the was it line of the dress

I used a metal zip for strength and durability. 

I left the zip exposed which made its easier to insert and suits the dress I think.


the back with the sequins brushed in the opposite direction show their silver underside. 


After trying it on I used snips and tweezers to remove sequins that poked into me  around the armholes and neck 






Matching Bag

I used a second hand purse and made a covering from rainbow fur and the sequin dress fabric

It is like a slip cover, I slid it onto the purse and pinned it at the opening


the other side is fur to match my shrug


I hand sewed the slip cover to the purse around the opening



For the night I had my make up done

I also made a rainbow fur shrug 






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