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!