I finished the dress last night and wore it to work today. I decided to go bias on the band and stabilised it with interfacing (thanks Summerset!). As the checks are not squares, I needed to make a centre seam at the front to ensure the checks looked balanced.
One think I did not do but I recommend others do is to stay stitch the bodice front side seams. They grew! To fix this I just ease stitched them before attaching to the bodice back.I did not follow the patterns method of construction. Vogue has you make the bodice and then attach to the skirt. I prefer to make the whole front and the back and do the full side seams at the end. This makes it much easier to make that final fitting. And also any weight changes can be more easily altered for.
I need some more work on invisible zips!! This zip is not so invisible! This was my first go at inserting the zip with the seam already sewn, a la the Sewing Divas. Well I am not a diva yet! I will practice to get it even closer and go back and resew the zip closer. I should be able to do this without taking it out. Previous zips have been with the seam open and I have had better results. But with this I was also conscious of making sure the checks matched up.
Loved the way the lining is sewn to the zip tape! This is also a first for me and I am pretty happy how that turned out. Thank you Marji :) 
And of course the shoes...........
12 comments:
I had looked at this pattern and I didn't really like it much. Well, I stand corrected - your version is wonderful. As, I said at SG, I love the bias midriff - it gives the dress an interesting feature. Love it!
BEAUTIFUL! I too love the bias midriff and what a great job you did on matching the checkes!
Wow, Vicki, that looks terrific! All that meticulous matching really kicks this up a couple of notches from the pattern envelope photo. Great work!
You look fabulous Vicki! That dress suits you so well! Congrats on matching the checks, it really gives the dress that extra couture touch.
Great dress! It looks great on you. The shoes are great too, just like the others.
GORGEOUS!!! Vicki, I congratulate you for this great dress! The bias band looks terrific and the overall effect is stunning!
The Divas technique requires a little practice and a few tricks like pressing the zipper coils open and then basting the zipper tape to the previously interfaced and pressed SA (one tape at a time, before stitching by machine) so it doesn't shift when machine stitching. I adjust the needle position a little to the left so it stitches really close to the zipper coils (that's why the coils must be pressed open before all this) but that will depend on your zipper foot kind. The first time I tried this technique it didn't turn out well so I ripped the stitches and repeated the process.
Woo!Hoo! Noice, noice.
Looks wonderful Vicki, and in just a weekend .... Father's Day weekend toboot!
You're amazing.
Love the shoes, no wonder you were looking to make a new each outfit for each pair from the fabulous shoes find.
Janine
Love, love, love the dress!
Fabulous! I love that bias band!
Yes, the zips do take practice, but every one will get better.
Love the dress Vicki! You really did a fabulous job with this and the bias midriff is the perfect touch.
What a lovely, stylish dress! Congrats!
Love it...Wauw...never mind the zipper, the front is ab fab!
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