well, big moving day is this week – september 1st, which is this thursday! everything is all packed up, which is why i’ve been nonexistent as of late. no worries, though, i left my two current projects unpacked… so here’s a rooibos for y’all’s troubles!
i loved my first version so much, i decided to follow the rooibox sewalong on the colette blog for v2.0! well, “follow” is loosely defined – it was kind of half-ass. but it’s done! and – bonus! – my first garment for my fall 2011 wardrobe 🙂
i used very lightweight/fine wale corduroy – you can’t even tell that it is corduroy in these pictures, but i promise it is! the facing & pocket piping are sewn up with soft red plaid – from the ~plaiditude~ line at joann’s. i’ll be honest with you, i mostly bought this plaid because the name was so awful. haha! i was apprehensive because it is very thick & soft – almost like flannel – and i was afraid it would be too bulky with the corduroy. fortunately, the corduroy is very lightweight, so this fabric works as a facing. and it is sooo soft – the pockets are especially luxurious!
i kept the bodice at a size 4, but cut the waistband & skirt down to a 2, since it was a little loose the last go-around. should i make this dress again (and i probably will! i love this dress!) i will cut it down to a 0 – the 2 was still a little big! i took in as much as i could but i do feel like it’s a little loose. the belt helps a lot.
other than that, pretty straight-forward! too bad i can’t even wear it right now since it’s NINETY FREAKING FIVE DEGREES outside. oh, nashville. never change.
ameeeeeeeeerica!
it looks awful with my harlot-red hair, i know, but i’m pretty sure i’m going back to brown within the next month or so. don’t judge me!
my only issue with this fabric is that i can’t get the darts points to lie flat, no matter how many times i resewed them. they are almost completely flat irl, but the nap of the fabric highlights the point and, well… i look cold. oops. and it wrinkles pretty bad – i even ironed it before taking these pictures. oh well.
pockets!
i made the belt with lightweight belt backing & an old wooden buckle i found ages ago at the flea market.
facings are trimmed with red bias binding – the very last of my stash!
i love how the pockets turned out :3
love this dress so much! if you haven’t hollered at the rooibos yet, definitely give the pattern a chance – it’s a great shape/style & it’s sooo easy to make up!
seeya!
LLADYBIRD 
your piping looks *awesome*. The whole dress is super cute!
I’ve had that problem with too-pointy dart points, too 😦 Do they come up too high? I’ve usually been able to flatten them out by making sure they end at least an inch below my body’s real bust point.
But the dress is still fantastic, awesome job! Love the plaid contrast.
I love the contrast belt, I never pictured a rooibos with a belt, but it actually works great.
LOVE the plaid accents on your dress! YAY! Well done!
Yay plaiditude! It looks really cute!
Love the little collar and the back is adorable!
Found your blog off Craftster – all your clothes are amazing!
I love how the plaid just peaks out like that! Well done again, my friend.
This turned out SO CUTE! The idea of belting this dress may have turned me all around about the pattern, because I was thinking it just wouldn’t be the dress for me, but yours has so much panache! I love how you went a wicked route on such a sweet dress, and punked it right up.
I just found your blog today and boy do I love your writing and pictures! The barkcloth birthday dress alone would have won me over, but this just slaaaays me.
Love it! It’s so sassy and cool! I desperately want to make a Rooibos… gotta add it to my massive, horrifying queue!
I absolutely love your red dress!!!
Great choice of fabric and color. Nice touch, that belt. It took the dress a notch up.
]Great work!!!!
I really like your Rooibos, although I think I like the fabric of the first one, better
I think with the darts you need to make them shorter. Eunny is right that they should end about an inch away from your actual bust point. Also, based on the close-up of the bodice (and it’s hard to tell) I think the reason the darts come up so high is that you might need to do an FBA – especially if the seam where the bodice meets the waistband isn’t lying flat under your bust (and based on the pic it looks like it’s higher than it should be). The vertical dart should be what creates the fullness for the bottom curve of your breast. I didn’t see this on the floral Rooibos (which I love!) but I think the print distracts from the fit because you can’t see the details.
All that said, I haven’t made the Rooibos, though it’s on my list, so I’m only going on my experience sewing similarly detailed bodices. Your overall fit is great but if you’re leaving the bodice at a 4 because it fits well due to your bust measurement, I’d recommend trying a size 2 with the FBA, since it will probably help with the dart issue. If it’s too loose you can always take it in at the sides for a more fitted look and the darts will be in the right spot.
i wondered if i needed a FBA but i wasn’t sure. i may tinker around with the next one & see if that helps. thank you for your input! 🙂
Just found your blog through Colette Patterns’ featured seamstress and I am loving it! Your fabric choices are fantastic and you turn out a fabulous Rooibos – I’m tempted to try it out myself although as a beginner sewist it might be tricky. But hey why the hell not? Thanks!