Dress 04/2009-123 is complete!

I finally finished it! Took me about a week and a half to finish. Which isn't a lot, I think, considering the complexity of this dress (for me, at least). I don't have too many photos from the process, because my camera was not with me. Well, next time!


So here's what I learned from making this dress. Maybe you will find something here that's useful to you, or if you would like to ask me about it I will be happy to!


Lining is so much fun! I know it is basically twice the work because you are actually making the same dress in two fabrics. But you only make the zip (and other details) once, and it is worth it. I remember going to fabric shops, loving all sorts of fabric, but not getting it because it was too sheer or delicate. With a lining, you can get any fabric you love! Plus the lining eliminates the various bumps of undergarments and other body bumps we may have :-) - I am now a friend of lining!

This dress took (for me) so long to make that I feel anything else will be easy compared to it (wait till I sew a jacket eh?)

Invisible zip. So worth the effort! It really isn't that hard at all!! And the end result is lovely! I cannot believe I used to sew non-invisible zips. They are so coarse in comparison. Check out this excellent  video tutorial if you need instructions on how to sew an invisible zip using a normal zip foot.

Chiffon. That chiffon sure is wobbly! You try to line it up on the table and it waves back and forth. So you try to cut a straight line, but it ends up being a wobbly line! Tricky. At least the cutting process was behind me quite at the beginning. 

Sewing delicate fabrics. Ripping out seams from this fabric leaves little needle holes (and an unhappy me). Oh, when working with delicate fabrics, get a suitable needle (I think it's called a #70). It needs to be thin enough so as not to damage the fabric. And finally, you might need to adjust the thread tension on your sewing machine - these fabrics are so thin that you probably need the thread tension to be higher than normal. Otherwise the seams will be too weak.

Stretch Satin. Makes for a lovely lining and is relatively easy to sew. I'd be reluctant to use it on a dress or shirt (not as lining) because (a) it sort of looks like lingerie fabric and (b) you can see the tiniest flaw on the fabric. So if your cat's nails get to it, or if you accidentally pull a thread of the fabric with a pin, it is a big disappointment...

Princess Seams. They look lovely, but are tricky to sew because of the curve at the bust. Also, the bodice is interfaced, making it completely stiff. I would like to try making princess seams on a stretch fabric - I have a hunch it'll look better at the bust area. This dress kind of "smushes" the bust and doesn't  stretch to its natural shape obviously. 

Finishing the sleeves using a black bias strip. This part was so much fun! I will post a tutorial about this next time I do it. It is so easy and I love the result! I sewed the inside part by hand in this case.

I learned so much I can just write on and on! But I think that's enough for now :-) And now for some pictures!