Ikat Sigma dress

I’ve been hearing lots of good things about Papercut Patterns, recently they have just launched the new Constellation Collection in discount price so I thought it was the perfect time to get my first Papercut pattern! They also have free shipping which I like because the pattern price is really the amount I’m going to pay.

I especially love the pretty package, a brown box with cut out details and hanger shaped closure. The pattern pieces and the instructions are printed on brown recycled paper and the instructions can be cut and folded neatly into a mini booklet. So neat!

This is the Sigma dress, a simple semi fitted dress with front and back darts, side pockets, and variations of short/long sleeves and straight/gathered skirt. It also includes a separate waistband pattern if you only want to make the skirt.

My fabric is Indonesian ikat fabric from my sister in law. The color is iridescent green which unfortunately hard to catch by the camera. I made the long sleeve variation with straight skirt and omitted the pockets.

I cut the pattern is sixe XXS on bust, XS on waist, and back to XXS on hip. I might get away by cutting a straight XXS but I like the extra ease around my waist. After comparing the bodice length of the pattern to mine, I shortened the bodice by 3 cm. This is a pretty standard alteration for me. I also made swayback adjustment 0.5 cm on the bodice and 0.5 cm on the skirt back.

In case you’re interested on my shortening alteration, this is a photo of the bodice pieces. I used to shorten the bodice in one line but sometimes it resulted in too deep armholes and necklines. By dividing the shortened amount in three, I can shorten the armholes and neckline too. Then I revised the sleeves and neck facing pieces to match the new length.

You can see that in the bodice back piece, the shortened amount on the center back is 2.5 cm while on the side seam is 2 cm. The 0.5 cm is for the swayback adjustment. I then trued the grainline direction. On the back skirt piece, I only shaved 0.5 cm on the center back and made new curve to the side seam.

After these alterations, I cut my pieces in lining fabric first as I don’t really like making muslins. Once I checked the fit on the lining/muslin, I cut the fashion fabric. The pattern actually doesn’t have lining but I added it because my fabric is really clingy. I also ended up not using the neckline facing and finish the neckline using my lining fabric.

I really love the result! With such a simple looking dress, a great fit really matters. Although the price of the pattern is much higher that the Big Four patterns, I can see that I will be using this pattern over and over again. So many looks can be achieved with one pattern. The brown recycled paper also made the pattern pieces sturdy and can last a long time. This is not going to be my last Papercut pattern! They’re having a Thanksgiving sale now until Monday so I just snatched up another one.

Now can we talk about the hair??

You might have not known it but actually I used to always have a short haircut. I don’t have beautiful mane so having long hair felt unnatural to me. They poke my eye, get tangled, and sometimes make my sensitive face itchy. They’re frizzy and thin and couldn’t decide whether they’re straight or wavy.

Sometime before I moved to Japan, I began to let my hair grow just to see how it would look like. But then for some reason, Sidra got attached to that hair. It may have to do with the somewhat chaotic life we had before and that he needed something that he can hold unto. Or maybe that’s just how some kids are.

So for the past six years, I would ask Sidra this question: “Can I cut my hair?” And these are his answers:

• 2008 (kindergarten): Nooooooo! Noooooo!! NOOOOOOO!!! (followed by tears and tantrum)
• 2009: No! Why would you do that?! That hair is mine! (clutching  the hair tightly. Ouch.)
• 2010: No! You’ve promised that you would never ever ever cut the hair!
• 2011: No! Okay… just a liiiiitle bit! You can cut the hair 1 cm! (Of course he didn’t really notice when I got more than 5 cm haircut.)
• 2012: No (then focused the attention back to his Nintendo DS).

I think by this time he just did it out of habit, so I decided to help him break the cycle -for my own benefit, of course-. I took him to Kaz Taira of Dude hair salon to get his first professional haircut. Of course he refused at first, but he finally agreed after I showed him all the cool haircut pictures that mother’s homemade haircut couldn’t get. What is it with boys that they always have to say ‘no!’ everytime they were offered something new? Is is just Sidra?

Anyway he was very pleased with his haircut, and it seemed that all his friends thought so too. He has gone to the hairdresser three times and never looked back to his mother’s homemade haircut again. Now that he’s converted, I asked him the question again and here’s his answer:

• 2013 (5th grade): Okay, as long as the guy does it.

Mission accomplished!

After the haircut: My husband loves the pixie cut and said it suits me better. Sidra said that the short cut is good but he still likes my long hair better.

Pattern is Sigma dress by Papercut Patterns, size XXS on bust and hip, XS on waist.