Me not posting in a little while normally has one of three causes. Either I’m very low, or I’m away, or I’m working frantically on something so I don’t have time to blog. This most recent absence is a bit of reason 1 and a bit more of reason 3. I finished my dress in time for the wedding – on the outside at least – but it was a close run thing.
Jonathan took some photos for me in my parents’ back garden. Unfortunately he crouched down on the ground to do so, so I look like a giantess! They do show off the dress reasonably well, however, so I am still posting them here.
This is what the fabric looks like when the light catches it (which just about makes up for how shifty the grain was while cutting!):
And because I am really proud of the fit I achieved:
I made two really good decisions. Interfacing the bodice and strap pieces gave them a wonderful supportive structure, resulting in a close and comfortable fit without risking major wrinkling. Using a microtex needle meant that the machine flew through each seam smoothly and without issue, even with up to five or six layers of fabric and interfacing at points, and again reduced wrinkling.
So there you have it. Totally can’t tell what the inside looks like in places 😉 I do intend to go back and fix at least some of that, though, and some of the insides are really well finished and look really nice.
Thoughts on the pattern? Well, I used Colette Lily for the bodice and then added a half circle skirt of my own drafting (as far as one can claim to ‘draft’ a circle skirt).
It’s clear that the Colette bodice block does not fit me straight out of the envelope, which I’m a bit disappointed at, and as I’ve already mentioned, I didn’t think that the construction order in the instructions was that sensible. It’d’ve been nice for them to include instructions for an optional lining – I know what I’m doing with that by this stage, but beginners wouldn’t have done.
That said, the drafting is superb. Everything lined up and fit together just perfectly. They’ve produced a gorgeous princess line, and I just love the flap at the top of the bodice. I can totally see myself making this one up again, perhaps as a cottony top.
All in all? I’m pretty pleased with this dress. It garnered a lot of compliments, and will be a great thing to have in the wardrobe for summer events.
Sewing Slowly 