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My Penelope Peplum Dress!

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I just love saying that name, Penelope Peplum!  Try it, you’ll feel happier just saying it.  Of course, I’m pretty biased toward the name Penelope anyway.  This is Kate from See Kate Sew’s brand new pattern, and I was lucky enough to get to try it out.1

When I saw the peplum, I immediately knew I wanted to make it into a dress.  I’ve had an anthropologie dress for over a year now that I’ve been meaning to copy, and it’s almost identical to the bodice of the Penelope Peplum.  It just needed a pleated skirt.  So I made a dress, not knowing that Kate was imminently about to release an add-on pattern for a dress option!  So now you can make one too!  The dress pattern includes options for a gathered skirt or circle skirt, and a circle peplum.  But with even a modicum of experience, you can easily add a pleated skirt too.  Lots of choices!  So I added my fully lined pleated skirt, making sure the pleats were more on the sides and laid flat on the belly area that I’d like to be flat.  Camouflage clothing is easier than crunches.  Much like many of the things I’ve made, this is my absolute favorite thing ever!

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My Penelope isn’t completely done though.  I need to figure out a solution to keep the neckline facing tucked in (I already topstitched at the shoulder seams).  I could topstitch it down around the neckline, but I don’t want a visible stitch line to interfere with the stripes on the fabric.  I might try doing an invisible stitch by hand, or maybe even using tiny strips of fusible interfacing.  Haven’t decided yet.  Any ideas?collageI also haven’t cut off the excess hem after hemming the skirt.  I was afraid it would be too short, so I left a good three inches, which you can see dangling below the hem in a couple spots.  I think the length is good if I wear it like this, with tights or leggings, but I’m not sure I need to expose that much naked leg to the world.  Before hemming it looked pretty frumpy though, so I think shorter is better in this situation.  It’ll probably come down to whether or not I’m motivated enough to unpick the hem and redo it.  So pretty much……no.  But check out that killer side seam stripe matching, hey-o!

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I can’t sell the Penelope Peplum enough to you, but luckily I don’t think I need to.  It’s a perfectly fitting bodice with three sleeve length options, 2 peplums, and 2 skirt options.  You can’t lose.  And there’s the Pippa Peplum too, if you need to make one for your mini-me.  This is my favorite style of dress – knit, bra-friendly, an easy sew and an easy wear.  I could live in this.  And I will.  The end.

If you want to see some more Penelope Peplums before you buy, go check out the rest of the ladies contributing to the series at See Kate Sew.  I just finished reading Delia’s post and was smiling about how we both prefer a half sleeve and styled a seasonally inappropriate photo shoot (except she was freezing and I was sweating).  I received this pattern to review, but all opinions are enthusiastically my own.

Comments

  5. Stripes matching boss right hey-re! :) Love the pleats too! I think it’s hilarious that we both had seasonally inappropriate stylings in mind too! ha.

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  7. That is a really cute dress! And nice stripe-matching. =D The usual way to keep a facing from poking out is under-stitching… but I haven’t had much luck with that method. Fusible would be easiest, but I would test it out on a scrap first to make sure it doesn’t make the fabric pull oddly.

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    • Yeah, I’m with you on that. I’ll have to do a test. maybe just a couple spots of fusible here and there? I tried understitching but it didn’t work. Probably because of the nature of knit and because the skirt is pulling the bodice down…Thanks for your sweet comment!

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  8. Hey-o on ALL the stripe matching, girl! It look s awesome. I’d agree with understitching the neckline, maybe stitching in the ditch along the shoulder seams, and doing a little blindstitch in a few spots to tack it down along the facing in the front and back? That worked for me with the washi facings.

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    • Thanks so much Kristin! So, I did the shoulder seam thing and that did basically nothing, understitching didn’t work…I’ll try some tacks like you mentioned, I think that’s going to be my best bet. I noticed that Sabra’s still showed a little bit at the neckline and hers is fully lined. I might have to just become more zen about this…

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  9. I love your dress! That fabric is great and was totally destined to be a Penelope. I have mine printed and I keep staring at it hoping to magically find some time to sew it up.

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  10. Oh my gosh! I love this on you! So awesome! And high fives on those stripes! That is friggin fabulous! Woot woot! You so need to keep it that length and work it! You look gorgeous!

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    • Yeah, can you just walk around behind me all the time saying stuff like this? This is probably the best comment I’ve ever received! Thanks so much Shannon!!

      Reply

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