Purple Silk Sensation

I've completed it! Almost a week in the making (most of that was spent working out how I was going to draft this dress). I've had ups and downs in the making of this dress and it's highlighted some skills I need to brush up on.

I was going to draft the dress from scratch as I wanted back darts and front bust only darts and was having trouble finding a pattern. However my drafting skills are one of the things I need to work on. I finally found this free dress pattern by Alexandra over at Burda. The size was almost right, so I adjusted the fit, altered the armhole to fit my idea and began.

All went well to begin with, the lining came up a treat, and the dress was OK too. I used french seams as the fabric was quite fine and very slippery. avoiding any puckering took some doing! I was very good and pressed everything twice.

The neckline had very little seam allowance after unpicking and I had to understitch to get a secure and clean finish. I used a self-made bias strip (made from the discarded sleeves) to edge the keyhole at the back of the neck.

However this is where I began to realise I was missing some skills.:


1. Sewing an invisible zip
2. Sewing a lining on a sleeveless dress - without having to hand stitch

I've made a reasonable finish of the zip, but it's not perfect. The armholes I hand stitched, folding the seam allowance in and clipping as I went. However, the fabric looked puckered and uneven. having tried the dress on I decided that the bottom of the armholes were too tight and I needed to cut more away. I chalked a line, basted the edges together, trimmed and used the rest of the bias binding I'd made to hem the arms. Much better! (but not perfect)

So anyway here it is (sorry about the poor photos, I had to use my phone as the camera was our of batteries and  no spares - sight).  I have matching shoes for once, jewllery that looks brilliant with this, and a weekend in London with my sister and mum. BRING IT ON :)

Total cost: Dress £4.29, Button 6p, Thread £1.45 = £5.80

Have a look what other creatives have been up to at Wendy's Handmade Monday.