I’m going to Vancouver this week for the UBCM conference, and I’ve decided I need a new dress. As one does, of course. I started at lunchtime and I am not sure I’ll finish this evening, but I have tomorrow evening as well.
I decided to use a pattern (Burda 6917 A) for ease this time, but of course when I got midway through laying out the pieces on the fabric, I wasn’t very keen on the bodice. I’ve made this dress before twice and I remembered that the upper bodice doesn’t have the most pleasing fit. I decided to use the lining front bodice pattern because it’ll have the side bust and under bust darts that I want. In addition, I’ve designed a little collar to fit into the neckline. For s&g, of course!
The fabric I’m using seems to be a wool blend, based on how nicely it presses and takes a shape. I got it from the most recent Hembots stash swap and I don’t know if any of us were able to identify the fabric content. But it is lovely stuff, and there is still 1.5m of it left in case anyone else wants a go at it.
I drafted a collar (got it more or less right on the third try) and assembled the bodice sections, sewing the shoulder seams together. The collar is interfaced with heavy woven fusible.
I’ve inserted the collar, but right now I am stuck at how to add the bodice lining. I basted together the fashion fabric and the outer and inner collar, but I’ve just realized that in order to get a zipper into this and have it look proper, I need to sew the lining just to the inner collar. So while I sit and have dinner, I will seam-rip that basting and pin just the inner collar and lining together. Once I have them seamed, I’ll have to catch-stitch the inner and outer collars together at the join, so it stays closed. I think I will do that AFTER inserting the zipper.
I started around 11:30. It’s now 5:30. This may not be finished tonight!
A Week Later:
The zipper insertion went a little wacky. I used the steam-a-seam trick again but I should have basted the zipper in, instead. The steam-a-seam kept shifting. But it turned out okay. I called it a night after 11pm on the Sunday that I started.
I finished the dress around 11pm on the following day. I finished the armholes with bias binding, and hand-stitched the lining to the waist seam allowance and hand-stitched the hem. That all took about 4.5 hours. I didn’t have time to add the sleeves I’d envisioned, but I might go back and put them in later. It shouldn’t be hard to remove the bias binding. With the neckline as it is, it’s not a good dress for wearing under a suit jacket or sweater so for warmth, I need sleeves.
I plan to do a photo shoot with this dress this coming weekend, so for now I don’t have pictures.
