The Dress Shop on Cherry Tree Lane

[FoxC63]

@FoxC63 You're so talented (and ambitious!) I can't sew at all (I keep thinking I should learn so I can make myself some fabulous skirts & dresses but that's just feeding my clothing addiction, which is probably the last thing I need!) But it's awesome that you're undertaking this project, very cool!

Thank you your Majesty, Ruler of all Penguins! I'm grateful my mom taught me how to sew it's been a fun adventure!

I plan on altering some of the Disney dresses into separates as discussed here. I think using the dress form for hemming purposes will help out tremendously. Kinda getting tired of eyeballing it and/or asking DH for assistance. Plus I can't wait to use it to figure out what to do with the tops as some of the dresses I purchased are PLUS3X and I'm a Small.

 

[Penguinempress]

Thank you your Majesty, Ruler of all Penguins! I'm grateful my mom taught me how to sew it's been a fun adventure!

I plan on altering some of the Disney dresses into separates as discussed here. I think using the dress form for hemming purposes will help out tremendously. Kinda getting tired of eyeballing it and/or asking DH for assistance. Plus I can't wait to use it to figure out what to do with the tops as some of the dresses I purchased are PLUS3X and I'm a Small.

I'll look forward to seeing photos of all your creations!

 

[amw]

Update from Rainbowrules.

I have to return the dress at my cost to the US address. She will reorder it for my teen. Based on the measurements I gave her (normally a size 12), she suggested xxl. Will let you know in a month how that works out.

Update again on Rainbow Rules. So I returned the dress at my cost $20. A new XXL dress was ordered on March 30. I have the email communication from the owner saying she was placing the order in XXL. I would have hoped it would be a priority job since they sent me the wrong cut last time. I received the package from Hong Kong today — April 22. Opened it up. The tag on the dress says XL! What the?!?! There’s no way I’m paying to EXCHANGE their mistake again.

The owner has had good email communication. However, I think there is an issue on the production side & quality control. Even if a good fit, I wouldn’t gamble again.

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

Update again on Rainbow Rules. So I returned the dress at my cost $20. A new XXL dress was ordered on March 30. I have the email communication from the owner saying she was placing the order in XXL. I would have hoped it would be a priority job since they sent me the wrong cut last time. I received the package from Hong Kong today — April 22. Opened it up. The tag on the dress says XL! What the?!?! There’s no way I’m paying to EXCHANGE their mistake again.

The owner has had good email communication. However, I think there is an issue on the production side & quality control. Even if a good fit, I wouldn’t gamble again.

Nooooooooooooo. That's really disappointing.

 

[FoxC63]

Update again on Rainbow Rules. So I returned the dress at my cost $20. A new XXL dress was ordered on March 30. I have the email communication from the owner saying she was placing the order in XXL. I would have hoped it would be a priority job since they sent me the wrong cut last time. I received the package from Hong Kong today — April 22. Opened it up. The tag on the dress says XL! What the?!?! There’s no way I’m paying to EXCHANGE their mistake again.

The owner has had good email communication. However, I think there is an issue on the production side & quality control. Even if a good fit, I wouldn’t gamble again.

I'm so sorry for all your troubles, how very disappointing! Have you contacted the owner regarding the XL shipment? I wonder since you showed good faith in returning the first shipment if they would be willing to send you an XXL at their cost and allow you to keep the XL? I think that would be a positive move on their part prior to your review regardless of where you posted it.

 

[amw]

I'm so sorry for all your troubles, how very disappointing! Have you contacted the owner regarding the XL shipment? I wonder since you showed good faith in returning the first shipment if they would be willing to send you an XXL at their cost and allow you to keep the XL? I think that would be a positive move on their part prior to your review regardless of where you posted it.

She did email me and is going to give me a refund for the dress. She was very apologetic and is just as frustrated with the printer in Hong Kong. The rest of our original order was good, and she always responded quickly to my emails. The items look nice, and material seems good quality. It’s just too much of a gamble for sizing and overseas shipment.

 

[FoxC63]

UPDATE - Making my own Dress Form / Continuation of: Post #4

Hi ladies!
Woof! I'm finally done! Before we get to that let's take a step back, again I'm following along with Kelly Hogaboom and I'm on Post #4: Inner Support, Stuffing and Mounting.
KH direct link: https://kelly.hogaboom.org/2017/08/bootstrap-dress-form-tutorial-inner-support-stuffing-mounting/

As previously stated, I sewed up the armhole and covered it now it's time to use pattern piece Armhole Cardboard #18 (instead hubby cut two 1/4" thick wooden armhole plates) and Armhole Cover Stabilizer #9. As seen below adding the stabilizer can be tricky no matter what sewing foot you use. Some found it easier to hand sew the cover on and I'm one of them. The following images are from Kelly's website!


Through my research I found if you took the time to hand baste the armhole cover and hand sew the stabilizer it will prevent unevenness and puckers. This is key as it's very visible. Oh, I'll get to the Red Arrow soon! Stay focused on the unevenness and puckers.


INNER SUPPORT – What makes this pattern remarkable is BootStrap Fashions included an internal support system that is attached to the inside of the front and back seams which in turn acts like a stabilizer helping maintain your actual body shape. However, it is very confusing to construct as many have reported. According to CCCouture at Pattern Review dot com, she states:

“On the Front INNER SUPPORT Stabilizer pattern piece, the pattern piece was a little confusing as to what should be the cut line. Refer to the INNER SUPPORT Section Page 27 of the Instructions (Photo Step 1), and you will see that the Seam Allowance is about 3/4 inch rather than the 3/8.”

Hmm. Looking at the photos on pages 27 and 28 I would have to agree. The seam allowance deviation actually occurs on pattern pieces Front Inner Support Stabilizer #14 and Back Inner Support Stabilizer #15, have a look see:





Going through many reviews and tutorials CCCoutour is the only person to point this out which I found very interesting, I missed it too. Many who have posted their review have repeated the same “do not over stuff” well considering this just added 3/4'" to your overall dimension it's something to keep in mind.

At this point and far too along, I used the seam allowance set on the pattern. I do plan on making another dress form and if I find this discrepancy to be true I’ll adjust my pattern then.


Having sewn the support on the inside of the form I'm now ready to cut my sponge. Fair warning, this is a bit wonky! In referring to the instructions on page 34, it shows an image of pattern piece Neck Top #13 however there is NO pattern #13 on my pdf. I fervently believe it doesn’t exist but that's okay we can use Neck Top #11.


In a video tutorial by Stephanie Farrell she uses pattern Neck Top #11 with the 3/8” seam allowance intact. But by doing so she has now added more to her neck circumference.

Stephanie's video tutorial:

Watch out, she's absolutely adorable!

I used the same pattern but removed the seam allowance. K.H. used an electric carving knife to cut her foam. I used a serrated bread knife to cut mine and then stuffed the sponge inside the neck channel and measured a perfect 13”. Easy!


Do you see that red arrow and remember the double one before Inner Support? Many believe the rod will support the neck, this is not true. There is a gap between the lower neck line and the top of the supporting rod anywhere from 1.5" to 2.5" it was too difficult to get a proper measurement but I solved this by stuffing this area firmly.

Installing the dress form to the base. There are three things I did differently here. My base is 1/2" thick ply wood not cardboard. I used snaps instead of cutting two zippers and I added tabs with the intentions of adding a DIY metal hemming cage. I'll sew snaps there so I can remove it and add another style if needed. Having a removable hemming cage is important to me as is the ability to raise and lower my dress form. For this project I used an expandable shower curtain rod. All you do is turn the rod to expand or in my case raise or lower the dress form.

My Mini Me




Cheers!

PS. I forget to add, I wanted a wood base to staple the fringes rather than gluing them. If I need to add more poly or make minor tweaks I can do so without damaging anything.

 

[FoxC63]

Save the Date!

Heads Up Sewing Peeps! JOANN Fabric

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

Save the Date!

Heads Up Sewing Peeps! JOANN Fabric
View attachment 396800

I may need to enlist a friend to go shopping for me while I'm in Disney!

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

My Rainbow Rules stuff is here! First off, it took 5 weeks from when I ordered to when I received it. So even though it says 2-4 weeks...I'd order with a buffer to be safe. It was so long I'd almost forgotten what I ordered and I was disappointed that I decided against more leggings, lol. Please ignore my socks, dirty hair, amazon boxes, etc. ;P

Everything I ordered is an XL and I'm a 12/14 (more of a 14 right now thanks to too many chicken wings & beer the past few months).

First up are dresses!

This one is the Sleeveless Dress. The fabric is a slightly thick/heavy synthetic material. It probably says on the tag but I don't remember. Feels like sweat-wicking fabric. Honestly this looked adorable, and fit how I expected it to. It clings slightly at my stomach but that's not a surprise with the cut & fabric (and my beer belly, gah). If I stand up straight you & push my tush back you can't really tell. We'll see how it looks in PhotoPass pics after I walk around all day in the parks.


This is the Beach Cover Up Dress. I love it. This style is one I always go for because 1. It is forgiving on my stomach and 2. Makes it looks like I have a bust. I was worried it would look too big or baggy but it falls really nicely. It *is* a beach cover up, but honestly I think it'd be fine as a regular dress (if you're mindful of strong breezes). It has two layers, a breezy outer fabric and an inner (probably) sweat-wicking fabric. I am curious to see how it feels/fits if I actually use it as a cover up and put it over a wet swimsuit. From the feel I don't know if it would be comfortable while wet. Will report back!

Now for leggings.


These are the Sport Leggings - Mid/High Waist. I've ordered leggings from similar manufacturers before and was anticipating this waist band style, but it doesn't mean I love it (haha). I wouldn't actually wear these to workout. They would definitely fall off! The waist has an elastic band and they don't "hold things in" like good compression/running leggings do. They might be fun for a 5K fun run if you need a cheap costume, but I'd rather just wear these around the parks. I went with the capri length because I'll be wearing these in the summer and was worried they'd look silly if I wore full length. I could've gone a size down for sure, but with this style of leggings I'd be worried about the pattern becoming slightly see-through if I did that. Since we're all friends here I took a picture of the waistband/stomach area for you to see that they're not compression style and they won't be making any slimming action happening. I'm curious if their yoga-style leggings would be best for that, because the waistband looked like a more athletic style, despite these being the "sport" leggings. Either way, the pattern is cute & I'm happier with it on my legs vs as a dress or top.

I also ordered some tops (and decided against more dresses/leggings). I have opinions on them.

Women's Tank Tops. Like everything else, these are an XL. I don't think they're smaller or tighter than expected, but I do not like the fit on me. I don't think a larger size would necessarily be better though, because there was extra room at the bust/armpit (which is normal for me). If I went up a size I would probably be drowning at the top. These are the same material as the Epcot dress, so a fitted yet stretchy fabric. The busy patterns make my tiny boobs look smaller and help keep the stomach area from looking awful, but I just don't like things being fitted there. They will probably look fine when I cut back on the beer (I seriously carry it all in my stomach and I'm on Weight Watchers so I'm extra grumpy about how poorly I ate the past few months). I think if you aren't a pear shape like me (and have boobs proportional to your frame) you'd probably love the tops.


I tried them with my tiger lilies skirt and they look awesome because my only issue with them is how they fit on my stomach.

And that's everything I ordered! It's definitely a gamble on sizing (I have everything from S-XL in my closet but I tend to wear Large) but if you're familiar with how certain fabrics & styles fit you, I think it's pretty simple to guess what size to get. I ordered based on the size chart and the only one I didn't love was how the tanks fit my stomach, and that I think was more due to the style of top vs it not being the right size.

 

[AnneK]

I also just got my exchanged skirt from RainbowRules. I normally wear a small, and this skirt is an XL and still just barely fits. It's pretty tight, but at least it's wearable now. Honestly probably won't order anything else from them again and can't recommend them.

Sorry for my less than thrilled face, I'm a few days post wisdom teeth surgery and it's been an ordeal.

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

I also just got my exchanged skirt from RainbowRules. I normally wear a small, and this skirt is an XL and still just barely fits. It's pretty tight, but at least it's wearable now. Honestly probably won't order anything else from them again and can't recommend them.

Sorry for my less than thrilled face, I'm a few days post wisdom teeth surgery and it's been an ordeal.

I still LOVE this on you!

 

[Penguinempress]

@FoxC63 Good work on your dress form, it looks great - very professional!

@MusicalAstronaut I know how awful it feels when you're not comfortable with the fit of something but I think the tops look good in these photos! Love the orange bird print, so cute! Also, your dog is adorable.

 

[Napria]

I hope you all don’t mind my jumping in. I’m returning to WDW for the first time in 2 years and have been looking longingly at the Dress Shop dresses online. I suddenly remembered the Dis Boards and came here to see if anyone had posted about the dresses. Didn’t expect so much! Lol.

Does anyone know if there are still lines to try on the dresses at the Dress Shop in Downtown Disney? I had seen a mention about this at the beginning of the thread. We’re going to be very pressed for time and I know my DH won’t want to spend his park time waiting for me to try a dress on.

 

[MUtiger98]

Was at the Disney Springs location on 4/16 at a little after noon. We didn't have to wait for a dressing room and there was only 1 person in front of us checking out.

 

[FoxC63]

My Rainbow Rules stuff is here!

And that's everything I ordered! It's definitely a gamble on sizing (I have everything from S-XL in my closet but I tend to wear Large) but if you're familiar with how certain fabrics & styles fit you, I think it's pretty simple to guess what size to get. I ordered based on the size chart and the only one I didn't love was how the tanks fit my stomach, and that I think was more due to the style of top vs it not being the right size.

First off, excellent review and photos, thank you so very much!!! I think you look amazing in all photos taken. I really appreciate seeing how the waistband looks too. I'm not a big fan of pants, shorts etc going below the natural waistline, so big thank you for that photo!!! I look forward to hearing how everything works out for you at the parks. Again, BIG THANKS!!!

 

[FoxC63]

I also just got my exchanged skirt from RainbowRules.

I really love this print. Do you feel this skirt can be taken out? Most likely would have to toss the waistband and make a waistband free skirt. Really love the print.

 

[FoxC63]

I hope you all don’t mind my jumping in. I’m returning to WDW for the first time in 2 years and have been looking longingly at the Dress Shop dresses online. I suddenly remembered the Dis Boards and came here to see if anyone had posted about the dresses. Didn’t expect so much! Lol.

Does anyone know if there are still lines to try on the dresses at the Dress Shop in Downtown Disney? I had seen a mention about this at the beginning of the thread. We’re going to be very pressed for time and I know my DH won’t want to spend his park time waiting for me to try a dress on.

I have not seen any current posts on people waiting at The Dress Shop in sunny California. Good luck and please post photos!!!

 

[Napria]

Thanks! We’re only going for 3 days.. flying down, hitting MK that day, Epcot day 2 (maybe Typhoon Lagoon for the Glow Party that night), then AK before we fly out the following day. So very possibly we won’t get to do anything other than the parks. But I so want to go and check out the dresses. I could get one online, but I really want to try it on before deciding. Plus the Shop itself would be part of the experience.

We’re going for my daughter’s 21st birthday. I’ve got sparkly tees that say “Birthday Girl “ and “I’m with the Birthday Girl”, as well as tea-length tutus for us to wear on her birthday. So we’ll have something out of the ordinary to wear.

 

[AnneK]

I really love this print. Do you feel this skirt can be taken out? Most likely would have to toss the waistband and make a waistband free skirt. Really love the print.

Yeah I'm probably going to let it out a little to make it more comfortable. The print is very pretty! I just wish the size listings on the website could be relied on.