The Real Life Potato Dress
Posted in: Sewing
I took pictures of me in the potato dress. But I’m having a hard time sharing all the pictures. Is it really that bad? Yes and no. I waffle back and forth on it. I put it on and I think yeck and then other times I think it’s not that bad. It doesn’t help that Alan says it looks like a potato sack ha ha ha! I never think ooh I love it. That’s not a good thing is it?
In the book they didn’t show the front of the dress in photos, just a diagram. Maybe they didn’t like the front either! 
So instead of using nice fabric I did a test with muslin. This color really adds to the potato sack feel.
Ok on to the pictures. Let me ease into showing you the dress. Here’s the back, which I do like:
And the top of the sleeves. Love them:
But from the front, eeeeh.
Hate it? Don’t hate it? Opinions? Do I make this for real? Or no? I will be using a different color. I say that to Alan but he says it will still look like a potato sack. It really is basically a sack. The shape is all from the ties. Here let’s imagine it in a different color.
Opinions internets? I cannot decide.
June 9th, 2007 at 4:40 am
Shoulder’s are nice, but Alan is right. It’s a sack. None of us should have to wear a sack.
June 9th, 2007 at 5:43 am
I like the shoulder treatment too, but the dress itself needs more shaping - or a very sheer fabric that clings to your body more so that you can see your shape under it…
June 9th, 2007 at 6:16 am
I, too, like the gathered shoulders and agree that it’s rather sack like. Maybe if it were a jersey instead of a woven so it would be a bit more fitted and clingy?
June 9th, 2007 at 7:02 am
Love the shoulders, but the neckline does nothing for your figure. If you could change that to something more flattering I think it would be cute!
June 9th, 2007 at 7:39 am
Some darts/gathers/folds in the front would work wonders. There is a lot of extra fabric under your arms on the side that you could fold-away and they would also help with shaping. Kinda like where the fabric is all gathered under your, um, boob. *ahem* Those kinds of darts/gathers/folds (which is the right word? I don’t know) would really cuten up the dress.
How do you make those darts? Search me.
In the green photo, it makes me think of scrubs or a doctor’s office gown.
June 9th, 2007 at 8:38 am
i think the fabric is the problem. the cotton seems to make it too stiff. perhaps in a fabric that had more drape? i bet it would be really neat in a pretty silk/silky blend.
June 9th, 2007 at 8:50 am
oh love the shoulders too!! The tie is cool, but honestly…the green makes it look like scrubs…might need a few more alterations.
June 9th, 2007 at 8:55 am
i agree with everyone…there’s too much fabric around your upper section. i think having 2 darts in the front and on the back to give you a waist would make this dress look un-hospital gown/potato sackish. otherwise i LOVE the shoulders and how it ties in the back!
June 9th, 2007 at 11:04 am
Hi! Just started reading - love your drawings and sense of humor! Also, I have a son abou the same age as your daughter. Anyway, back of dress - cute! front of dress - um. . . practical? Someone earlier suggested trying jersey - that could do wonders for the drape!
June 9th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
maybe MAYBE in a fabric that is thinner and more draping…then the gathers wont be so boxy
June 9th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
I think the tie is too high up under your boobs and not close enough to your hips…I think that’s part of it. It just needs more shape.
June 9th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Hmmm.. It seems REALLY big for you. I agree with the suggestions for a fabric with more drape or dding shping. Either way could be cute.
June 9th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
Another thought would be to add a couple of shaped pockets incorporating belt loops lower on the front so the tie doesn’t squish up under the boobage. And definitely shaping darts in the front to thin out the torso, I agree.
A couple of ways to change the neckline would be to add more width to the top of the front to make it into a loose, drapey neckline or to cut a V or U neckline.
Heck, let’s just remake the whole front!
June 9th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
probably the color & the texture contributes alot to the sack look. hey what a good reason to head to fabric store again!! hehe
June 10th, 2007 at 2:42 am
hmm perhaps a printed fabric? something cool like paisley. Not a solid colour- too sack like. The green looks like hospital garb.
Love the shoulder ties though!!
June 11th, 2007 at 7:47 am
I think you’d look better in skirts. I too like the detail with the gathered shoulders.
June 11th, 2007 at 11:25 am
No one really likes this dress. No one has said WOW!
I think you should move on and find something that you can love. Time is short and fleeting. So is a mother’s energy.
Try something else. HUGS
June 11th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Ooooo that other Trixie is smart. Listen to her. Maybe you’ll find something that has a similar shoulder without all the drawbacks.
June 11th, 2007 at 5:29 pm
ok, i am gonna go against the crowd… i actually kind of like it. i think it would look better in a pattern and i think you should have either a v-neck or a cowl neck… but overall there is something that is cute
i LOVE THE SHOULDERS!!!
June 11th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
ok, i am gonna go against the crowd… i actually kind of like it. i think it would look better in a pattern and i think you should have either a v-neck or a cowl neck… but overall there is something that is cute
i LOVE THE SHOULDERS!!!
June 12th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
The muslin is the problem. Try a print in a softer fabric. Cut it in a smaller size, it’s too big, look at all the fabric you have in the back. And a print really is the way to do a simple design like this. I say give it one more try and use a print from the clearance sections. Good luck!
June 14th, 2007 at 11:16 pm
Have you tried a cotton/rayon blend fabric? It will drape much better since it’ll be softer. Also two darts up front from your bust downwards to just below your hip…or you can also take them all the way down. You’d probably want to do some darts on the back, too, just to shape it properly. You can baste the darts on your muslin dress while you’re wearing it (or maybe your husband can help you) so its easier to spot where they need to start, unless you have a dress form. Hope that helps! I like the back, though
June 25th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
The shoulders are fun but there’s too much fabric in the back that’s getting all wrinkled up when it’s tied, and the flap like effect under your arms is too much fabric. Maybe vertical darts mimicking princess seams type thing in the front to do away with the wrinkles from excess fabric being brought together by the tie. It would look better if it were more fitted, and of course, in a more fun fabric (but you knew that already!)