March Madness - The Red Bridesmaid's Dress

Remember way back in February when I posted the sketches of that bridesmaid's dress and promised updates? Between my lovely vacation and the huge crush to finish the dress on time, I haven't been able to touch anything other than sewing tools for the last month! (Not to mention being ill twice in the middle of all that.) The dress would not have required crunch time if it had stayed on the original schedule. My client told me the wedding was a week later than it actually was about 2 weeks ago. My April 11 deadline became the wedding date! And my nights and weekends vanished into a pile of red stretch satin, chiffon and tissue paper.

I ended up doing dress #1. The cationic chiffon, which was really beautiful fabric, was too black. Back to the shopping for fabric. We settled on a red stretch satin and chiffon from Sy Fabrics. I also got some black crepe-back satin for the trim. I did my math based on a lovely Goth skirt tutorial from Antimony and Lace. Figuring on 3 layers of chiffon for the skirt plus bodice & sleeves I came up with 10 yards of 45" chiffon. I placed the order, sat back and looked at my calculations once more. Then I called them & added another 10 yards of chiffon!

Starting with a moulange a la Kenneth King, I drafted a tight, princess seamed bodice to serve as the understructure for the dress. His "Birth of a Bustier" was my handbook for the pattern draft. My test garment became the inner layer of the bodice. The skirt was a simple A-line with a bit of ease added for comfort and drape. I wasn't going for a pencil dress.

A couple of fittings and many layers later, I had a workroom full of chiffon pieces and a basted-together satin dress to go underneath the chiffon. That brings me up to last night's final fitting. One little tweak over the bustline, one little tuck in the back and shortening the bone at center front will yield a strapless bodice with perfect fit. I tried the first layer of skirt and we adjusted the length a bit.

Then the fun began. I do love draping! We played around with the bodice chiffon until we got the perfect look, which turned out not to be the sketch. Rather than ending the drape at the waistline, we continued it down as a loose, scarf-like line on one side. We ditched the black sash in favor of the scarf and added a black satin rose at the waistline. We also changed the yoke at the neckline to black satin and added a line of black piping across the top of the bodice. The upper back is one layer of chiffon and the sleeves got re-designed to echo the handkerchief skirt.

The very best thing about last night? My client looked in the mirror and said, "Hey! I don't look like a tube of lipstick. I have a waist. I don't look frumpy. I've never had a dress I didn't look frumpy in!" And that is why I love making custom clothing. The bright smile when someone looks in the mirror and sees that they really are beautiful! More on that later. That thought inspires a whole post of it's own.

Dress gets delivered Monday. Look for pictures soon after!

Vacation Challenge - Week Two

Week Two is complete and on schedule, now that I've shifted completion day to Monday. My usual photographer is out of town, so I don't have a finished picture yet, but I am amazed at how beautifully the fabric drapes. I will add the picture as soon as I have it.

I checked out the reviews from Pattern Review before starting the dress. There didn't appear to be too many that used the cap sleeve view, so I forged ahead. My one grumble is that the patten description should have mentioned that this view has forward shoulder seams. I caught that in the illustration long after my alterations had been completed. Marking the natural waist on the pattern would also have helped. C'mon, Simplicity! Get with the program!

What changes did I make? According to my moulange, I needed to lengthen the back and the front by 1 1/2 inches; and the front by another 2 inches! That should have alerted me to the forward shoulder seam in the design, but it didn't.

I decided to split the first set of adjustments (the 1 1/2 inches) between the bodice top and the midriff piece. I redrew the back shoulder slope to match my moulange, but I was hesitant with the front as it would have taken about 2 inches out of the armhole. I made a muslin of the bodice, tried it on and decided to split the difference on the front shoulder slope, changing the angle by 1 inch instead of 2.

I changed the location of the center back so I would get more overlap for a bit better coverage. I want to be able to wear a normal bra with this dress! When I tried on the muslin, I discovered I also had to take about 2 inches out of the back midriff piece. I transferred the alterations to my pattern and started the layout and cutting process.

I did some test seam finishes with both my regular machine and my serger and I tried out my Vilene stay tape on a bias edge to see how it would feel when finished. Once I was familiar with my fabric, I was ready to go. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to know how your fabric is going to behave under the needle and under the iron before you begin. You will save yourself a ton of frustration if you play with the fabric ahead of time. Also try out buttonholes, zipper installation, and any new techniques.

This was my first experience with a single knit jersey and you can color me impressed. What a beautiful drape! It all comes from buying quality fabric. On to construction - as Sarah Veblen said, it did take just as much time to grain the fabric as it did to sew. Her Slippery & Drapey Fabric class on Pattern Review was a lifesaver. I never would have thought of patting the fabric into place rather than scooting it!

I added a couple of tweaks during construction that you don't find in most commercial patterns. I stabilized the neckline edges with Vilene bias stay tape cut slightly shorter than the edge and I added a strip of clear elastic to the shouder seams, also cut a smidge shorter than the actual seam. I used my serger to apply the elastic strip. I think a tutorial on that process is in my future. Tricky, but really helpful! I'm also leaving the hem unfinished. I like the way the dress hangs without the added weight of a hem.

What would I do differently? In addition to the Vilene, I would add a piece of clear elastic to the neck edge to snug it up against my chest even more. I would not serge the shoulder seams. The tight gathering wants to creep away from the needle and I haven't mastered the technique for keeping it in place yet.

All in all, a great experience!