Thursday, November 11, 2010

Last post before the reveal...

Well the dress is done.  It needs a hook and eye and a hem.  I need to get the shoes I plan on wearing with the dress from underneath my desk...so I will probably hem the dress tomorrow night.

So this post is about the sleeves and the lining...and primarily the sleeves because the construction of them was the most intriguing.  First I used the new sleeve pattern that I altered from the Vogue 8666 dress.  I think I'm going to have to make a couple of copies of this sleeve and add it to my TNT dress pattern because it works so well!


Then the pattern was placed on the lace and cut with the hemline on the selvedge edge.  Even though I originally wanted an embroidered edge, I realized that the selvedge was a nice clean finish and would work just fine for my purposes.


To sew the sleeve seams together I used french seams.  Now to be honest this is a technique that I haven't used much lately, so I was thrilled when they came out right the first time.  I really didn't want serged seams in the sleeves after all of the hand basting and other time consuming techniques that I had used in making the dress. 

The sleeves were basted into the dress to make sure they worked.  Now I basted the sleeves in for two reasons:  1.  To prevent the pins from catching the lace and 2. because I felt I would have more control.  The insertions went smoothly for both sleeves which was good since I was doing this after a day at work!  My last step was to fold the seam over and stitch it flat.


The Lining

It was constructed from the last of a navy blue rayon bemberg lining that I had in the collection.  Because it was the last of it, the dress does not have a full length lining - it ends just below my knees.  However, the main body of the dress is lined and the 4ply silk crepe has some weight to it so it works.  I didn't add lace to the hemline of the lining, I just turned it up and stitched it down.


I've tried it on a couple of times during the construction process and every time my daughters encourage me that it looks swell.  It feels swell!  *LOL*  And I think I accomplished what I set out to do...make a comfortable, elegant dress with a casualsexyfunky vibe. 

I'm also glad to be done with this dress.  I've lived with it for almost three weeks now and in my sewing restlessness, I'm already thinking about my next project...well my sewing palate cleansing project...because after that quickie (yes, I know what it is...no, I'm not sharing! *LOL*), I will buckle down and work on my fall/winter plan that I discussed here.

The Big Reveal will be next...hair, make-up, jewelry...dress...

...as always, more later!

20 comments:

  1. The suspense is killing me! I just know that you will look stunning.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Can't wait! I'm sure it will look absolutely stylish, chic and stunning.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You're teasing us - we need the reveal! I can tell that this is going to be super gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Come on now - we *need* to see how fabulous you are! Can't wait!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Can't wait! I don't really see how you won't outshine the birthday girl, but hey, it's your family :-) Perhaps

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am currently altering a sleeve for a blouse and the photo of your sleeve pattern intrigued me. Why does the back seam have such a marked angle compared to the straighter front seam? I am learning as I custom fit that a well-fitting personal pattern can be very different from standard ready-made ones. Your material looks beautiful. Can't wait to see your dress!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Can't wait to see you all dolled up. You've done a fabulous job on this!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Can't wait to see it all put together. I know it's going to be fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm all excited with anticipation now ...

    ReplyDelete
  10. I cant wait!! Thank you for the step by step during the process. Most helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  11. That's a beautiful lace. I can't wait to see the finished dress.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm swooning over these pictures and descriptions!

    ReplyDelete
  13. It looks beautiful so far--I too am eager to see the final results!

    Lynda in LV

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ok, the sleeve looks nice, but since you won't show us the whole dress.....

    ReplyDelete
  15. 4-ply silk, oh yeah.... that is going to feel so good on! You will look fabulous and feel dreamy in that dress!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Carolyn, I'm loving watching you break out of the career mode (although I love your career wear line). I'm just gonna loooove this dress.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Also, I liked your first idea too but I DO respect your instinct.

    Is it possible to send personal messages to people on this blog?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Well the sleeves look great and I am sooooo looking forward to the final reveal.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I can't wait for the grand reveal! it looks like it's going to be gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! It is so appreciated!

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails