A Novel Idea: Jane Eyre

Nearly a year ago, I made a dress that was inspired by Miss Phryne Fisher from Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (book and TV series), which had a boyish figure and floral glamour. This next addition to my Novel Idea Collection is inspired by Jane Eyre, whose personality could not be more different from Miss Fisher, except that they both believe fervently in expressing one's mind and sticking to your guns.

Like the last time, this dress came from the Merchant & Mills Workbook and is called the Curlew. It comes in a tank top and dress form. My rendition of the Curlew is a mix -- I did not want sleeves, so I just left the sleeves off and made the dress body. My fabric was a grey charmeuse with a blue-green tint that had been bought a few years ago and had been reserved for a sewing challenge I received, but I liked this pattern for it a little more. It also seemed a little more 'Jane' to me. It is simple and elegant, but has a plainness to it and it is in that dark neutral color scheme often associated with her. If I had used the pattern I had originally intended (The Colette Crepe), it would have been more feminine, but I really also wanted to make the Curlew, so that's what happened. It's definitely a modern take on Jane.

This is the first time I've used seam tape, which is highly encouraged in the book, because this dress is both an article of clothing cut on the bias AND something made from charmeuse (which really likes to pull when the needle punches through it but did not when I used the tape). The seam tape made it feel more sturdy and like it will survive its first cleaning. I also bought some Swedish Tracing Paper so I don't need to use tissue paper taped together anymore. Yay! I made a few alternations. I brought the bias binding on the neckline back instead of to the front with top stitching. To the bust-- I made the darts longer and tighter since I am smaller. I also took the side seam right under the armholes in about a quarter inch and graded it out to the original side seam measurement where the darts meet the seam that cuts across the back. There was a ton of finagling for the bust and I was still not satisfied because it looked so baggy and an unattractive fit. However....

...when the dress was probably an hour from being finished, my scissors snagged around where I was cutting and I snipped a hole in the bust that made the entire front piece irrecoverable! It was all for the best though, because I tried recutting the paper pattern I had traced to fit my bust better and it worked! That blessing in disguise also motivated me to redo the neckline binding that stood up too much. Enough talking, er, writing, here's a taste of the final product and its process.

The finished product

 

The back. There's nice little curved seam that meets the bust darts, which was a nice little feature I appreciated.

Where the bust darts and back seam meet.

Another reason I converted this to this particular pattern was because I needed a simple little something to put under chiffon shell I had purchased at a antique store. Here is that completed outfit.

Super satisfied with this!

It also has some small slits on the side for a little reveal.

On the hanger.

Happy Sewing!

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” 
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre