Dress Number 2 in "The Cardigan Series"

Have you ever worked on a piece that made you doubt your ability to sew?  Well that was this dress!  When I stopped working on it two weeks ago, I had a shell with the lining attached.  The dress had a wonky neckline and the panel that I had cut on the bias was loose.

After waiting two weeks to work on the dress, I thought that I had worked out a solution to the loose bias front piece...add some interfacing to stabilize it.  Well that was the first thing I did yesterday morning.  I cut a piece of ltwt. fusible knit interfacing omitting the seam lines and pressed it to the backside of the front panel.  Problem solved.  The panel immediately took on the hand of the side panels and hung better.  However, when I tried the dress it was a scooch too tight.

This is when I should have been forcefully removed from my sewing machine...but no I plod on!  See at this point I had already hemmed the lining, inserted the sleeves so basically the dress was finished.  I only needed to hem the actual dress...THAT was when I decided to try the dress on...SERIOUSLY!  I mean it was my TNT dress pattern...I never try it on during the construction process...IT.ALWAYS.FITS!

Well it didn't yesterday.  So after I get over my initial shock...shock, it was more like an earthquake! *LOL*  But after the aftershocks subsided, I get out my seam ripper and start to rip.  Yes, rip as in rip the sides out of the dress, the lining..and least we forget the rayon hem tape that is on the lining!  It was alot of sewing to undo and at this point I realize that I am NOT a patternmaker...I just play one in my sewing area!

After basically ripping the dress apart...I press the seams flat.  I pin it all back together and stitch the tinest side seams that I can..and then I stitch them again...you just never know.  I hold my breathe and try the d*mn dress back on...and it fits.  No more stuffed sausage look...well okay that was an exaggeration if I only needed to add about an inch to make it work but still...

So I should be good right...nope.  The neckline is still wonky.  I thought that some of the excess would be removed when I added the sleeves.  Can we just say that I was delusional yesterday and I didn't even have anything to drink stronger than Mountain Dew.  I now have two choices...rip the neck and shoulder out and restitch the yoke or cheat.  *Hanging head in shame*  I cheated.  I just couldn't face my seam ripper again.  It had grown to comfortable in my hand and I just didn't like that feeling...so kiddies, don't do this at home!  Don't imitate me *sigh*  Do the right thing in this situation okay...

How did I cheat?  I placed a fold in the neckline, matching the piping as best I could.  I stitched it from the back and then steamed the heck out of it to make it flat.  Then I went rambling around in my button collection looking for the perfect button to make it look like it was a planned embellishment instead of the laziness it really was.

I think the only thing I did right construction wise was to insert the sleeves using the pinning technique that Ann described on her blog.

I have to tell you, she's right!  This works like a dream!  I got two sleeves inserted perfectly without having to hand baste them in...which is what I normally do and then sometimes I still have to rip one out and insert it again.

You want to see how the dress ended up dontcha!  And I'm sure some of you have already scrolled down and looked...but here goes:

Alone

With a black cardigan

Last night when I went to bed, I thought it was just okay.  However, today after walking around in it, taking pictures and sitting to make sure the side seams would hold, I'm alot happier with it.  Stockings, heels, some make-up and jewelry always makes me feel better! *LOL* 

One last picture of it:

and tomorrow I will show you Dress 3 - which was a much easier sew!  *LOL*