Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Party dress, but not for me

A friend is having a birthday with a zero in it, which naturally requires a new dress. She chose this dress from one of my Burda WOFs, without the huge shoulder ruffle and with a reduced skirt. Her measurements are very close to a Burda 42, so I cut a muslin to that size and fitted it to my dummy with the expectation that it'll need tweaking.

I was interested to see where the princess seams are placed. They're a long way towards the sides, and the front ones don't go over the bust at all. I'm really keen to see how they sit on an actual body.
The dress itself is to be a vibrant purple colour, and I'm looking forward to making it. It may not be for me, but at least it's a proper detailed project! Underlining, actual lining, invisible zip, well stabilized neckline, hand hemming....... How geeky is it that I am salivating over the tricky bits?

4 comments:

  1. I don't think they are Princess seams, but side panels. It would be interesting to see what happens if you eliminated the seam and made the front and back in one piece. As they are, they have nothing to do with the line of the bust.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yep, definitely side panels - if you were going to have to adjust the bust you would do it to the front piece. (The reason I can say this with such authority is that I did once try to adjust the side panel for the bust and it didn't work - no one has bust fullness under their armpits, although I have days when I feel like I do)

    I'm not sure about sewing the 2 underarm pieces as one though because I'm pretty sure there would be some sharp waist fitting that would be lost if you amalgamated the pieces. Since this is a one piece shoulder wonder, you would really need that fabric to STAY where it's told.

    I hear you totally with geeky details. I always hand sew my hems. I actually prefer the process. Details are such fun, I love it too, but only for me me me. How lucky for your friend to have you on hand.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I totally get your geeky details thing, too ;-) Looking forward to seeing the finished article!

    ReplyDelete