This year I wanted to sew more 'fitted' garments..... and more 'quality-made' garments....
..... and after falling in love with this beautiful floral watercolor print, made of humble calico, 100% cotton, (basically quilting cotton)..... I knew immediately it must be made using the Ottobre Design Woman 02/2015 no. 4 Sheath Dress pattern. My notes show it was traced February 2016, so it's a pattern I've clearly been wanting to make for a while. I traced a size 38 and this dress was made with no modifications. Fabric purchased at Hobby Lobby, as was the satin/crepe lining fabric. It is fully lined.
Fully lined, the lining gives the dress structure and affords a luxurious wear with a streamlined skimming of the body. Words cannot express how comfortable this dress is. During the construction process, the dress lay completely different on my body to such a degree I was worried that I'd made a huge mistake in choosing this pattern and had messed up somewhere on the side seams. Forging on..... believing the lining would smooth everything out (literally and figuratively!).... am so glad I did because it was oh-so-worth it and I am greatly pleased. Again, used Lucky Sew and Sew's fantastic tutorial 'Lining a Sleeveless Sheath Dress by Machine'.
May I say I am ever so proud of not only how the front seams line up, but also the back! Top of invisible zip meets evenly.... and no puckers at the bottom of the zip!
Back view showing invisible zip line in the middle and how the bodice princess seams match up perfectly with the adjoining skirt princess(?) seams. This is where quilting comes in handy to feeling comfortable matching seams.
A big Thank You to Diane at Dream.Cut.Sew, who so generously shares many great tips at her blog, who also recently showed how to offset the invisible zip seamlines ever so slighty where they 'meet', to not pucker. This is my first dress I've put an invisible zip in that did not pucker and that I did not have to un-pick and re-do multiple times. I apologize I could not find Diane's direct post with her great photo, but hope mine will do, below. I first sewed the invisible zip..... then changing to a regular zip foot, pinned this 'meeting place' very carefully, and beginning at the bottom..... stitched up and ended here, slightly offsetting. EDITED TO ADD: the link to take you directly to Diane's awesome tutorial complete with lots of photos.
Thought it'd add a whimsical touch to cover the serged hemline, with yellow gingham bias binding left over from the Pilvi Jacket last year, before machine stitching a blind hem. Super love the way this turned out. I'd made yards and yards of the stuff, (think quilt binding quantity!) not fully realizing how little a garment actually uses..... so yes!... more will be popping up in my posts as I sew through the pile. Good thing it's cute! ;) The last hemming stitch was stitched late Saturday afternoon for my new dress to be worn to church Easter Sunday, all to find my daughter did not feel well Sunday morning, so we all stayed home to be with her. And that was the right thing to do. Also in the photo below, is part of the lining hem. This was simply serged, rolled twice into a 'narrow hem' and top-stitched in place Experience is showing with how even the 'rolling' is, coupled with the even stitching. Nice to be becoming 'experienced'.... finally!!!
Still feel like such a newbie sometimes though. For instance..... in Ottobre's instructions, she has you serging or zigzagging all edges of garment pieces before starting to construct the garment. This gave me such pause, because the front bodice princess seams have a pretty severe curvature and I was concerned about how to snip and/or grade those seams to lay well. But no worries, again, blindly forging ahead and giving in to the process (i.e. instructions), all seams lay well with no grading or snipping and are pressed to the center front and center back respectively. Treated the lining fabric the very same.
And finally! I can tell sweet, ever patient, ever supportive Sarah Liz, that my March Make a Garment a Month plans were made and COMPLETED in March! Yes!! :)
Looking forward to wearing my new dress as a 'sporty look'.....
..... as well as a more 'formal look'.
Paired with the BurdaStyle 01/2016 #120 Reversible Jacket |
Just took a close up view of the seaming on this dress. Very nice! This is a very stylish, ladylike dress. You could take tea with the queen and totally fit in! Well, maybe with a pillbox hat...
ReplyDeleteWell you got me with the 'tea with the queen'! :) And yes all the wonderful seam lines are what caught my eye with this pattern too. Thank you so much Nancy for bringing a smile to my face this day! :)
DeleteYou always make such pretty garments. I like sewing quilting cottons too.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Beverly! What a kind thing to say!! :)
DeleteBeautiful dress, well done. The fabric was a real find.
ReplyDeleteIt was! Thank you! :)
DeleteWhat a beautiful dress Lisa! I can see why you are so pleased. It looks immaculate. And thank you so much for the kind words and for giving my blog a mention.
ReplyDelete(PS...you can find zip photo on my tutorial...the trick is to head to the top bar on my blog and search for 'concealed zip'.)...Your photo is lovely and clear though xx
Ahhh, found it!!!! Added the direct link above now. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge with us. Very much admire your work. :)
DeleteI think I "accidentally" did exactly what you show here with the invisible zip and found that it did sit really flat but I didn't know why :) Thank you for pointing showing such a great close-up of it - beautiful dress! I see so many beautiful "quilting cottons" and avoid them because I have no idea what to do with them but sewing up a structured garment with them makes perfect sense.
ReplyDeleteIt is surprising at how versatile a quilting cotton can be! Thank you Kathleen!! Glad you've found the secret to no-pucker invisible zip too. :)
DeleteI always try to avoid quilting cotton for garment sewing but you have made this superbly and it looks wonderful. It is the perfect dress for spring.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sue! If it wasn't for the full lining, this would not have worked out. :)
DeleteBeautiful dress . You did a fantastic job on it.. Looks and fits great.. Thanks for sharing the tutorials.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Judy! :)
DeleteI am glad I visited your blog today - I thought I had already commented, but I had commented on IG! I am so pleased your dress turned out just as you imagined - you must be so pleased. It really is very beautiful, and I know you are more than happy with your invisible zip insertion. YOu have certainly come a long way over the last few years with garment making Xx S.L
ReplyDeleteI think I joined your Make a Garment a Month Challenge back in 2013 when I first began to sew my own clothes and you are ever so kind to compliment my progress this way. Thank You!! You have always been so supportive and encouraging along the way and I've learned so much from what you kindly share. Xx :)
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