Sew Darn Tired

I won some tickets to a show at the QPAC (Queensland Performing Arts Complex) - Wizard of the Keys where  piano virtuoso  Behzod Abduraimov    played Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 3  - he is only 24 and was sensational - not that I'm any specialist, but he did get three standing ovations! So, as I don't get the opportunity to get out to special events often I took the opportunity to wear the Style Arc Alisha dress I made for the wedding in early May. I didn't manage to get a single photo of the dress on that night so I took the opportunity to get some photos. My friend took them with her phone and they are a bit washed out but really nice photos. I wore it with my Burda coat I made (actually for the photo taking friend's wedding in April 2009). Below without the coat showing off the lovely fabric. The lining, which I know you can't see, is a synthetic but superb quality (a Daniel Lightfoot - Brisbane designer of long ago who made/makes beautiful gowns...

The dress is finished and I wore it to the wedding on Saturday. I started Thursday. There was a few hiccups but not unmanageable. I made the slip but in the end I made a full lining. This is my first fully lined dress and I had to work out the best way. I did this because the pattern calls for the lace to be a scalloped edge and I couldn't work out a nice finish to just make the lace dress so I decided it would be best for a full lining. Close up of fabric I ended up bagging out the top and if you notice, I attempted to give it some turn of cloth so the lining wouldn't show at all. It wasn't a well thought out plan as I added a couple of millimetres all around but I don't think that is the ideal but it worked out ok. Then I had to work out how to make the dress part so I just made a lining and attached the skirt part (lining and dress) to the bagged out top and then to finish made a nice bias strip and finished it like this. I put a hook and eye on the back b...

I didn't get any tips about fitting in the post about the 1st toile so I just dived in and had a go. Good sway back adjustment this was about 2cm. I kept the side seam as before (hanging straight - I'm pleased with that). As the back centre seam isn't straight I added some extra there as well and it makes a nice skirt now. I made a petite adjustment on the bodice (about 5cm) but now it looks bigger width wise. Maybe it's the cotton/linen like fabric doing this? I will take some off the shoulder but I need to work out how to not mess up the collar part which is cut on the front bodice but you pivot and sew it to the back bodice. I need to take some off the back neckline too. I have to work out how to finish it too as my lace isn't a scalloped edge. The shoulder is too wide too and I don't think I will make the sleeve. I have to wear this on Saturday! Arrgh! Well at least the skirt part is ok. Maybe I'll go back to the original bodice. Interestin...

I have made a toile of the Alisha dress. It's a terrible fabric... actually the fabric looks gorgeous but is so thin and moves around a lot and FRAYS like nobody's business but I used it because the butter yellow is not my colour. Plus there is about 6 metres of it as it is a sari made from synthetic fabric. I got it at the meet up last month and decided it was good to use to see how the borders would work like the lace scallops (but my lace doesn't have nice scallops!). Firstly I have to say how everything went together very smoothly.  This is rated 'Challenging' by Style Arc but other than the pivot (at the neck where the front goes around to the back and joins the  and the zip there isn't too much that is challenging.  The front edge goes around and joins the back neckline to make a kind of mandarin collar. That's the pivot point below and the following photo is  how it looks. It was easy to do and with the industry sized seam allowances made it ...