Progress

I'm further along than this on the dress, but I haven't had anyone available to take photos, and it's just not the same on skinny Evelyn.

Hopefully I'll get a photographer this weekend. Either that or I'll have to blindfold Mario and just tell him to aim the camera toward the white wall.

After tweaking the second muslin of the bodice, I felt confident enough about the fit to cut into my silk. The silk has a tiny bit of lycra, which will make it even more forgiving; if I got a decent fit in muslin, the real fabric should actually work better.

The changes to the bodice again were to morph it with the Burdastyle Fatina, so that I have bust darts on the side and then minor fitting ones underneath the bust that line up with the darts in the skirt. It makes for a nice close fitted bodice that doesn't look too tight.

Because the fabric struck me as so vintage, and because I just let go of a dress on Etsy that had this detail, I decided to put self-piping on the seam between the bodice and the skirt. I waffled a little bit, thinking it might add bulk, but I decided to go with it anyway. I like it, and now that I have my new/old machine where I can swap out for my adjustable zipper foot, there was absolutely no space between the piping and the seam line. Love it.

The bodice of the dress is completely sewn in these photos, but the skirt is only pinned at the seams, and the joining seam between the skirt and bodice is also pinned, which accounts for the lumpiness. Or at least some of it. My housemate took these photos, but she was seated at the time and apparently being right in line with my thighs is NOT my most flattering angle. Duh.

Looking at the dress in the mirror before going upstairs with my camera, I thought it looked pretty good. Looking at the pictures, I felt like a bag of potatoes, but I think a lot of that is the unfortunate angle, and what isn't is probably the fact that the dress is pinned and none of the lines are smooth.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Housemate didn't think this was the most flattering shape for me, but I absolutely love the version of this dress I made earlier in the year, and besides, it's my wedding, I'm wearing what makes me happy.

There was a back view of me in the pinned dress, but it was just so egregious that I can't post it. Suffice to say that it let me know there was a little pulling up near the joining seam in the back, which I fixed, but the rest was comfortable, so I wiggled my way out of my pin-filled dress and sewed up the seams. The invisible zipper went in with no problem.

Right now, that's the status of things. The sleeves are cut out, but not sewn. Since they're from a vintage pattern, they have a little gathering at the elbow on the back of the sleeve, which I think is a nice detail and makes for a better fit. I got some nice ivory stretch lining, though I think I'm still going to use the original facings (a little overkill, maybe) because IF there's any gapping - not that there would be - I'd rather see floral than lining fabric.

I got a little distracted by Christmas sewing - 3 assembly line BWOF turtlenecks and a new Lazy Girl Gracie bag for Mario's mom, who wore out her old one, and a few more scarves for the craft show because the beaded velvet stuff is going like hotcakes. Go figure. It's always what I think will sell more slowly that people want.

Once the holiday sewing is done with (by the end of the weekend, if not sooner), I'll get back to the dress. Stay tuned.