Finished

The last construction posts will be up eventually.  For now, though:

It's finished!  And the recital is finished, and went incredibly well.

I hope to have the rest of the "construction" as well as some more and closer shots of the gown itself up before long.

March 7/8

I forgot to take pictures, but I've made progress!  I stitched the dress and lining together around the armholes this evening, then pinned in the zipper so I could try it on.  The fit is perfect, and I like the way the finishing at neckline and armholes turned out.

I'm going to take up a very narrow hem, especially in the front - with the shoes I'm wearing (about a 2" heel) the dress is already looking borderline on the short side.  It'll be fine, but I want to take away as little length as possible with the hem.  I'd already planned to use hem tape, so I'll just stitch it very close to the edge of the skirt and barely turn it under.  The lining will have a more traditional "double-fold" hem, hopefully handstitched.

I also made up the top tier of the net petticoat and pinned it roughly in place to see how it works.  I think it'll give just the right amount of fulness - definitely there, but not too outrageous.  (Actually, I'm hoping the lower tier will give it some more "pouf" - it's looking still a little too flat - but I think it'll work.  If all else fails I'll go out and buy a few more yards of netting and add on!)

Tomorrow (or, later today, I suppose!) I hope to hand-stitch the zipper in place - as invisibly as possible - and get the netting finished with.  After that I'll just need to hem!

3 March

(Except now it's the 4th.  March forth, everyone!  -- uh, sorry.  I get weird late at night.  Anyway, the point is, I did all the sewing on the 3rd, so that's what the title of the post is.)

I sewed the dress and the lining together at the neckline this evening, working by hand.  I'd pressed and pinned the edges a few weeks ago, so this step was relatively simple - I just had to match them up and stitch.  I used a sort of slip-running-stitch, in between the two folded edges so the thread doesn't show at all.  I also didn't match them perfectly - when I pressed in the seam allowance I pressed the lining under just a bit farther, so that I could leave a thin margin of velvet inside when I sewed them together.  The theory is that this will keep the lining from peeking out where it's not wanted.

Then I pinned the edges of the armholes together.  But by this time I was really tired, and my eyes were feeling the strain of working with black on black in a dim room - not to mention I think there's a hole in my finger from the needle.  I really need a thimble.

(An ugly picture - I had to use flash to get anything to show up at all.  Pardon the stray threads - they're not attached to the dress.  And the paper is my application for an apartment for next year.  But here is one of the armholes, pinned and ready to sew tomorrow.)

Nine days until the recital.  I still need to stitch the armholes, make up the net petticoat, hem lining and gown, and put in the zipper. 

Forgive the long delay.  Blogging (and sewing) don't play nicely with college coursework.

About a week ago or so I made just a bit of progress -- pressed and pinned down the seam allowance at neck and armholes, ready to be put together and hand-sewn.  I haven't made it to the sewing yet.

Three weeks until the recital!  I'm not going to even try to sew until after my hearing this Friday (which says whether or not I'm prepared enough to actually give the recital!)  But hopefully I'll get it finished, or mostly, next weekend.

30 January - The Lining!

Yesterday was spent mostly in bed with a stomach bug - this certainly has been my week for catching things!  But today, while not completely out of the woods, I was able to get the lining sewn; slowly, heart-breakingly slowly, as it was necessary to pause and rest between almost every step of the process.

The only work left on the lining is to finish the edges of the last two seams, left un-turned in case I needed to make adjustments after a final fitting.  I'm finishing all the lining seams with a flat-felled finish, both easy and, well, flat!

Here's my sweet Marple, curled up on the chair near which I work.  She's partial to me, and according to my little brother "She gets thinner when you're at college!"  She slept next to me in bed all of yesterday when I was feeling so sick, too - there's devotion.  (And, since she so often attempts to sit in my lap whilst I sew, I feel justified in including a photo of her on a dress diary blog!)

A trying-on of the lining proves it to fit very well.  I think I'll take up the shoulder seam in the back by about 1/4", but otherwise no alteration seems necessary.  I have taken this in just a tad -- about 1/2" total -- from the original mockup, taking up 7/8" seams at the sides instead of 5/8".

(Forgive the blurry photo - the product of photographic enterprises embarked on after 9 PM on a dark winter's night!  It shows the shape of the gown well enough, however.)

A somewhat silly view of the front, showing not only the bodice and some idea of the expanse of the skirt, but also the pink, fluffy, polka-dotted socks which my dear friend Rachel gave me last winter, and which have been on my feet more often than not as I work on this dress!  My friends, when you keep the heat in your house at 64 degrees, and you live in a frosty climate, your feet get COLD!

So you take silly pictures to make up for it ;-)

Tomorrow is my last day at home, so I hope to finish the machine construction of the dress -- flat fell the last few seams of the lining, put the outer velvet together, and figure out the net underskirt.  In the intervals of packing for four months away from home.   Yeah.... right.  Well, we can but try!

(A question:  Would you put the netting between the lining and the outer dress, or underneath the lining, i.e. as the innermost layer?  I can't make up my mind.)

28 January

(I know, technically it's already the 29th.  But I did all this work on the 28th!)

Today I cut out the lining fabric and began to sew.  Unfortunately my camera wasn't charged, so I have no photos, but I didn't do anything very exciting!   Turns out I have lots more lining fabric than I needed.  Well, black lining fabric is never lacking for a use around here!

I decided not to use the muslin/canvas/mystery fabric interlining after all. After washing, and attempting to iron it, I just don't want to deal with it!  And I think the layers of the velvet and lining will be heavy and structured enough in themselves.  I'll attach the netting to the lining, probably between the outer velvet and the lining; but I haven't quite decided on that point yet.  I'm doing flat-felled seams on the lining, as it frays considerably, and this gives a nice smooth finish.

That's all for tonight... I plan to get a lot done tomorrow, and I've charged the camera!

24 January

I spent all of yesterday in the kitchen and accomplished nothing on the sewing front.  Since today is both Sunday and my brother's birthday (involving three or four friends coming over) I probably won't make any progress today either.

Tomorrow, though, I WILL cut out the dress!  I've only got about a week left at home (with the superiour sewing machine!) so this is getting a little bit down to the wire.  I'm hoping to show considerable progress this week.

22 January

No real progress today either.  I hand-washed the proposed interlining fabric; it's a strange, stiff cotton, which in appearance and colour reminds me of unbleached muslin, but which is much heavier and stiffer -- it reminds me of a lightweight canvas.  Or sailcloth or something.

The water after the second wash.  My fabric didn't look yellow or dirty at all, so this was surprising!

Anyway, I washed it, which resulted in dark, ugly, mustard-yellow water.  Then I wrung the water out and meant to iron it dry immediately, but I got sidetracked, and by the time I got to it the fabric was almost completely dry, and the wrinkles were forbidding.  I made an effort but gave up and decided to machine wash it tomorrow.

I'll wash it in the machine tomorrow, take it out promptly and see how it presses.  At this point I'm wondering if it will be so good for an interlining, if it really is this prone to wrinkling.  We'll find out tomorrow I guess.

I did finish the shirt I was working on, so today wasn't totally useless for sewing.  I hope I'll have more dress news next time!

Nothing new today, apart from ascertaining that the velvet washed perfectly, didn't fray, and takes a LONG time to dry.  I hope to cut everything out tomorrow.

20 January

Caught up after this one!  Hooray!

I've nearly decided not to do the interlining - or at least not the boning.  As I cut the neckline, I don't have to worry about my underwear showing, and the dress is fairly form-fitting and structured, even in a toile.  I definitely don't need the boning.  I may still put in the underlining, just to add stability, though.

I purchased all my materials today!  This was exciting, although also a bit overwhelming as I spent more than I have on any other single garment I've made.  Less, though, than I would have spent to purchase a similar gown, so I'm still glad I'm making it!  

The fabrics - velvet on the bottom, lining to the right and netting at the top.  They really are all black!

List of supplies:

black velvet, 100% cotton - about 11 yards.  (It was in two lengths, each about 5.75 yards, and I don't anticipate needing all the yardage, but better safe than sorry and I can always make something else with the remainder.)

lining fabric - 8 yards 

black netting - 6 yards

black thread - one very large reel

7 yards black lace hem tape/facing

20" invisible zipper

I'll use some ribbon I already posess to bind the netting, and already have the stiff cotton for interlining.

Just for fun - the earrings I'll wear with the dress! They are much more "sparkly" in real life, but my lighting was bad.

I'm off to pre-wash the fabric (100% cotton=machine washable, hooray!)  That will probably be all for today, since I'll line-dry the velvet and I anticipate that taking quite a while.  But tomorrow I should be able to cut everything out!

(I ran a line of zig-zag stitching along each raw edge of the velvet before washing, as I didn't want it to fray away too much - this seems to have been effective as it survived the washer quite nicely!)

19 January

Today I put the mock-up together.  Much to my astonishment, it actually needed very little alteration!  The bodice length is perfect (I did add about 2" to the pattern last time I made up that dress, and just went with the same length this time) and the melding of the two patterns worked better than I could have dreamed.  I had to make just a few minor adjustments - I changed the curve of the princess seam from the bust point to the armscye, took in the seams a bit in the front, and took a tiny tuck (1/4", tapering to nothing at the side seams) out of the back length.  I only had to try it on twice!  I think this is a first.  

(I drafted my sister in to take photos)

Honestly I'm slightly worried because my projects never go this smoothly!  

This is the tuck in the back section, stitched down.

I had my brother (artistic) draw the V-neck on the back while I was wearing it - I just told him where to make it end, and the basic shape, and he "freehanded" it on me.  Then I drew the front V myself, "unlacing" the centre front seam so I could fold the extra fabric down and see how it looked.  I'm deviating from my inspiration in making the neckline smooth, leaving out the "jags" of the original - I think a smooth, un-fussy line will suit me better, and also be less distinctive and therefore more re-wearable!

Here the neckline is roughly pinned down, and the alterations to the princess seams are pinned as well.

I didn't want to take the toile off; I loved the way the skirt skims, then flares; I love the flattering princess lines of the bodice.  I like V-necks.

Basically I like feeling like a princess.  Even if I'm only wearing a pink-and-white floral toile!  I can't wait until I get it fully made up.

I marked all the changes on the toile with a sharpie, then took it apart to make my pattern pieces from it.  (Well, I only took half of it apart - since it's symmetrical, and I made the same adjustments on both sides, I didn't need all of it in order to draw the patterns.

Alterations marked and stitched, ready for a second try-on.

I use non-fusible interfacing to make my patterns - it's sturdy, and it's see-through, so you can just spread it over whatever you're making, and tracy.  Easy :)  It wasn't quite wide enough though for the serious flare of the lower skirt, so I had to "piece" it together, marking on the toile the corners that wouldn't fit, then tracing them somewhere else and attaching them to the main pattern.

Yes, I used book-ends to hold down the interfacing!

I've decided to call this the "Rosemary" dress, in honour of Rosemary Clooney whose gown is my inspiration.  So I labeled all my pattern pieces this way.

After that I dug out a length of broadcloth that I've been supposed to be making Poet's Shirts with for my family, and laid out the pattern pieces on it, trying to figure out how much fabric I need.  I suspect that I could get away with eight yards, but I plan on buying 9 or even 10 if they've got that much in stock - I'd rather be safe than sorry, and I can always make a Regency Spencer or pelisse, or even a modern jacket, out of the leftovers if there are any.  (This is always assuming they have 10 yards in the shop!)  And I have a 50% off coupon, which makes it much more affordable.

Tomorrow I plan to go and buy all my materials: 10 yards of black cotton velvet, 8 yards of lining (it's amazing how much difference in the layout it makes when you don't have to worry about nap!), an invisible zipper, lots of black thread, and some netting for the built-in petticoat.  I'll also probably buy some satin ribbon to bind the edges of the net, and possibly hem tape.  I want this to be *very* well finished and professional looking.

18 January

In future I'll try to post each entry on the day I actually wrote it, but since I'm playing "catch-up" I'll post these three in quick succession :)
~~~~~~

18 January

I started work on my recital dress today!  

This has been in the planning stages for, oh, months and months, when I decided I'd rather make my dress than buy it.  

I'm drawing my main inspiration from the gorgeous black dress Rosemary Clooney wears in "White Christmas" when she sings "Love, you didn't do right by me" in the club.  

I've always loved this dress; it's elegant, flattering, and I love that it makes the most of her curves instead of trying to hide them.  I like that in a dress.  But I never knew how to make the skirt, and it's really the skirt that makes this dress.

Then I remembered that Vogue pattern I'd bought on sale a while back.  (Vogue 2931.)  I dug it out; it was perfect.  Exactly the right shape.  But the bodice was totally different, and totally wrong for me.  I came close to shelving the idea.  

Then it occurred to me that I could combine two patterns, to get the bodice and the skirt that I wanted.  So I started hunting for a compatible bodice.

I'm honestly not sure how the original dress is constructed - black does a really good job of camouflaging seams, and the detail isn't great in 1950s movies.  But the skirt pattern had eight panels, and I thought princess seams would work well with that.  It would also give a smooth, continuous line, instead of chopping up the waist with a seam.  I had trouble finding a princess-seamed dress that had the right number of pieces, until I remembered an old McCalls pattern I had, which I'd made up once and been fairly pleased with.  All I had to do was cut the centre front in two pieces instead of on the fold, and it would be perfect.  I had my patterns.

I'm using black, 100% cotton velvet, lined with black as well.  I'll have netting for stiffener in the lower half of the skirt (as I don't think velvet will hold that shape by itself!  I'm also planning to make an interlining of the bodice, down over the hips, from a stiff old cotton we've got loads of.  I'm not sure exactly what it is - a lightweight canvas, or really heavy muslin? - but it's great for stablizing.  I'll bone this, for added fitting and smoothing.  I've played with the idea of adding bra cups, so that I wouldn't have to worry about cutting the back V to work with my underwear, or about finding a bra that would work - but I'm not sure it would offer enough support.  So this step is only possible, as yet!

To prepare my pattern, I chopped the top of the Vogue pattern off at the waistline, then did the same to the McCall - then carefully matched the waistlines of the two patterns and taped them together.  Incredibly, they were almost an exact match; I only had to "borrow" from one piece to add to another once.  When I get this fine-tuned, I'll disassemble the toile and trace off the corrected pattern before I cut out the actual fabric.

The patterns spliced together and laid out for cutting.

I cut my first toile out of my parent's old comforter cover.  (This, owing to a cat getting locked in their bedroom over Christmas, was unusable as bedding in spite of treatment and washing, but it works for mockups!)  I deconstructed it, removing 11 buttons and the upholstry cording that was inside the piping, and it yielded more than enough fabric to cut out this mockup.

That's as far as I got this first day.  We'll see when I baste it together, how my cobbled-together pattern worked out!

New Blog!

I thought I would set up a blog specifically for dress diaries - detailed, day-by-day posts about major sewing projects.  The dress that prompted this is one I'm making for my junior voice recital, coming up in about a month and a half, but I hope that future projects will be documented as well!

I'll probably be playing with the template/layout over the next few days as I figure out what works best, so hang in there!  And if you like something (or don't), let me know; feedback is always helpful :)

I'll get the "journaling" I've done so far on this up later today, and then try to update daily.  There will be lots of photos!

If you'd like to follow my "regular" blog, where I cover everything from sewing to singing to cooking to the weather - check me out at Glanalaw - Delighting in Pure Song!

~Gillian