Tuesday 29 October 2013

um... another Frocktober



This dress was scheduled for completion for the first week in December, until Thursday, when my little princess advised me of a slight scheduling adjustment.  Instead of the first weekend in December, could she possibly wear it this weekend?

Being an absolute sucker, I dropped everything else and got stuck in. 

I had planned to do this dress for her following Susan Khalje's Craftsy course.  I had already been through the muslin stage and fitted it on her, but had got no further, since she hadn’t chosen a fabric. 

Having a well-fitting muslin meant that when she arrived on Friday for the final fitting and length consultation, I had made pretty good progress, and we managed to get it finished in time for her to go out for the evening.  


Obviously there was no way I was going to be able to use the couture methods with this time frame, so I reverted to the pattern instructions.  The only concession to couture was inserting the zip by hand.  I didn’t want to use an invisible zip as she wanted the bodice very snug.  It would be a shame to have the zip go early in the evening and spoil the effect of what is a stunning dress.

I had also intended to use the hemming tape that Susan K suggested, but I couldn’t find any.  I tried four different shops and only one of them even knew what I was talking about.
I will continue to search and as a temporary measure I used iron on hemming tape!  I know, it seems like cheating, but it did give the hem a little extra body that really worked for this dress.   

As soon as I can find the real stuff the dress will be recalled for improvement!

Instead of ordinary lining, I used  cotton poplin, as she will be wearing this dress in warm weather, and I can’t imagine ordinary lining being at all comfortable.  I also only lined the bodice section.

I’m actually very pleased with the result, and so was my "little princess".  The dress looks stunning despite the last minute scheduling adjustment.  I even managed to get back to the jumpsuit that I planned to wear on Saturday evening ( I realise that this is a strange concept to anyone under 20, but I did actually have plans of my own for the weekend other than sewing for my off-spring).

6 comments:

  1. Really gorgeous dress. May I ask what pattern you used? Fits like a dream too! :-)

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    1. It's Vogue 8648, which is the one that Susan Khalje uses

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  2. Lovely fabric! Amazing dress. This looks like the same pattern as the the vogue couture used for the course, but with a circle skirt, I have seen this done before and it always looks brilliant.

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    1. This is the same dress as Susan Khalke used for the course. It has several options, including the circle skirt. I was so pleased with this that I will be doing a straight skirted version for myself

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  3. Pretty... and your "little princess" looks fantastic in red! ~Laurie

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  4. The dress looks amazing! The fit is beautiful and the full skirt, stunning. I love inserting a zipper by hand, I think it is just so much better than the machine - I only use the machine if I am doing an invisible zipper. You are an Awesome mummy :)

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