A Marfy pattern for my birthday dress - finale

Based on the incredibly nice comments left for the two previous posts (thank you very much!) I hope this very simple dress is not a letdown. Considering the style I did have to make a lot of adjustments, or maybe it just seemed that way because I am so familiar with my personal adjustments on Vogue patterns. There are links at the bottom of this post to my two previous ones which contain all the details on fitting and pattern alteration.
OK, enough stalling, right?  Here it is.

This was pre-vacation sewing at its usual quickness, so I rummaged through my stash and came upon this lightweight black cotton dotted swiss. I originally bought it thinking I would make a floaty skirt but never got around to that, and the contrast is white cotton sateen. All my outdoor photos look a bit washed out (or perhaps hard to compete with that background) and also the ever so slightly three dimensional dots do something kind of optical-illusion-y with the image. 

For reference, I made Marfy pattern F2422. This is my best dressform view that shows the details.

I am very happy with the final fit of the bodice and especially across the back which is always a place I have to do a lot fiddling.

A few thoughts on this pattern and Marfy in general. It is nice to get pattern pieces instead of a sheet and I don't mind adding the seam allowances, but the labeling is minimal. They say all pieces are marked and labeled however it was a bit tricky to figure them out and I speak Italian - although admittedly I don't "sew" in Italian. The biggest issue I had was where to put that contrast piece at the waist. Here is that section, and an example of their labeling. After putting the diagonal contrast piece below the seam  - which looked totally weird on my muslin - I figured it must go above the seam. (It fit either way).  And how about that little notch - goes with nothing. Now that I look at it I see that it says to lay the edge there but it actually fit better below, but worked out OK. Actually that is the only little dissatisfaction I do have with this dress as there is a tiny bit of rippling at those pieces which show in this photo below. I think that is due to the difference in weight between the fabrics, the black is very light, almost a voile and the sateen is a bit heavier and has a touch of lycra, although I did put some interfacing and was very careful not to distort when sewing. Its one of those things that I see in photos but I imagine when worn is not even noticeable. 

I really like how this turned out, the serendipitous fabric choices made it perfect for a crisp cool summer dress. I put a black cotton voile lining and a black invisible zip which stops at the top of the black part in the back. For the closure I thought a white invisible zip would be good at the top but might show down the center back and the little tail of a black one would drive me nuts at the top of the white band so I extended one side of the white band, stopped there with the black zip and then the band closes with  a flat hook and eye.  Oh yeah, I am particular, or as my family says, crazy!

More Marfy impressions. Very nice quality patterns however I am unlikely to try one again. The styles don't wow me, the sizing is not really suited for me, and I think the cost is too high for what you get. I am basing my comparison on Vogue patterns which I find more interesting and much easier to use. I can buy them for under four dollars and they have seam allowances which I am used to. Many Vogue patterns have multiple versions so that is useful and economical. They have styles from designers that I am a fan of. Some of the choices on Marfy are comparable to styles I have seen on Lekala (PDF patterns from Russia that send you a custom size based on your measurements) So two ends of the spectrum pattern-wise but I would pick a Lekala over a Marfy in the future.

I did two previous posts on making this pattern:
Pattern info and first muslin
Second muslin and details on adjustment and alteration

As for my tropical photo shoots - why don't I put on some cute sandals? For your entertainment, seeing this one all I could think of is that song "Walk like an Egyptian"

This one is I spy a Mai Tai out of the corner of my eye!  wait for me, it's my birthday after all. Or at least it was...

Wishing every one a paradise on your birthday, tropical or otherwise,

Happy sewing, Beth