For the past several months I have slowly been making a beautiful dress following a Craftsy couture sewing class by Susan Khalje. Before this, I'd never made a fitted bodice for a grownup and had never made anything substantial from silk.
Truth be told, I'm still basting. I was trying to multitask, watching a TV show, and basted to the wrong side for all four skirt sections, so I'm halfway done fixing that mistake. I basted the bodice together and fitted it to me and it is just how I want it. There's a bit of room to move, but it's fitted enough. I made a couple of tweaks to where the princess seams hit the bust line, but that was mostly a minor adjustment to the curve thankfully.
It doesn't quite look the same on the dress form as it does me, but you get the idea here:
I haven't finalized the exact height and shape I want the back, but it's close to what you see above. I also haven't snipped the armholes. The zipper will go approximately where the pins are in the picture.
The skirt is a full 1950's style tea length, semi-stiff look. Fun and flirty and won't blow up in the prairie wind. Even though the fabric pattern isn't quite perfect at the seams, I'm quite pleased given I really didn't have much extra fabric to work with. I wanted to keep wide seam allowances and that was more important to me than having a perfect match. I think it's close enough to look lovely for what I'll be wearing it for.
After I have the whole thing basted, I'll fit again and pin the sleeves to decide on length. I'm certain I need to tighten them a bit based on initial fittings. Then I get to put in the permanent seams, take out the basting stitches and add stays in a few places around the bodice.
Then there is the lining to deal with. I found a luxurious green china silk but it's going to be shifty and tricky to cut I'm sure.
I made two muslins, realizing I'm a near perfect size 10 after making significant alterations to my first attempt with a size 12 pattern. With the 10, there were some tweaks during fitting, but nothing major for fit purposes. I altered my pattern so I'll have the sleeves I want, more coverage in the front, a longer bodice, and a higher back and then began by cutting the silk organza. With the markings on the silk, I don't have to mark the fashion fabric. I used the organza as a pattern to cut the embroidered silk dupioni and basted them together.
It doesn't quite look the same on the dress form as it does me, but you get the idea here:
I haven't finalized the exact height and shape I want the back, but it's close to what you see above. I also haven't snipped the armholes. The zipper will go approximately where the pins are in the picture.
The skirt is a full 1950's style tea length, semi-stiff look. Fun and flirty and won't blow up in the prairie wind. Even though the fabric pattern isn't quite perfect at the seams, I'm quite pleased given I really didn't have much extra fabric to work with. I wanted to keep wide seam allowances and that was more important to me than having a perfect match. I think it's close enough to look lovely for what I'll be wearing it for.
After I have the whole thing basted, I'll fit again and pin the sleeves to decide on length. I'm certain I need to tighten them a bit based on initial fittings. Then I get to put in the permanent seams, take out the basting stitches and add stays in a few places around the bodice.
Then there is the lining to deal with. I found a luxurious green china silk but it's going to be shifty and tricky to cut I'm sure.
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