Party dress progress

After the boat cover, it was quite a change to work on a dress! Since it's a one shouldered style I decided to stay the neckline with twill tape. In order to do that I had J try on the dress, right way out, and pinned the tape along the neckline on the right side, snugging the bodice to her body where needed.
Then of course I had to move it to the inside without losing the dimensions. That was easily accomplished by marking tape and dress at several points with pairs of pins before moving the tape to the inside.

After moving the tape to the inside, I sewed it in, easing the excess as I went. I used a LOT of pins to make it even.

Since gettng to this point I've sewn in the lining (I wish I'd photographed that, since it was an interesting exercise getting it in and understitched to neckline and armhole.)

And for no useful reason, here's a gratuitous skitey photo of me sitting on Dad's boat earlier today. I went out there so we could have a photoshoot of the cover totally finished. The weather was beautiful, which never hurts. This shot just shows how the sides can be rolled up so you can fish even if it's raining. (Dad has such a tough life!)

Hmm, from this angle my legs look about three inches long.

The biggest client I have ever fit

The blue line on the horizon above the bow is the sea. It was very important to get the sea in the same picture.

Dad's boat. The cover is FINISHED! I took these pics today before we added the last details - a few velcro strips to hold the sides when rolled up and the door when open. It's been a Very Big Job, but satisfying to complete. Dad and I both felt that without the one we copied to figure out how to do it, we wouldn't have had a clue where to start.

Which leads to some very enjoyable MEMEME sewing. I sewed it for Dad in exchange for the fact that he taught me to drive 7 years ago, and didn't even make me give him petrol money. (However, he had promised a chocolate fish upon completion. A whole one, just for me.) Then last time he was over while we worked on it he said that actually he'd like to treat me and David to dinner out (as long as it's somewhere good - if we pick McDonald's it's off!) to say thanks. So now of course I need a new dress. I have some great printed satins, and plan to spend the twins' nap time tomorrow searching through all the When-I-Need-A-Nice-Dress patterns I've been collecting.....

Naturally I've been doing other sewing as well. I had my first lesson with the girl I'm going to teach last Saturday, which was fun. I hope she enjoys it too! I wish I'd had someone tell me first thing in the first lesson that patterns don't necessarily fit.

I made another shirt, this time a size two. Funny how grading a pattern is not as much fun as drafting it. I wonder why that is? Anyway, this one is exactly the same pattern as the last one, with the addition of a bias strip to finish the back neckline. It just looks better I think.

Inside the collar.

And a bubble dress/tunic. I wasn't sure what I'd do with this fabric to show the neat print, and this just came to me. It was very quick and easy to draft and make and I really like it, as does Georgia, who thinks it's too cute to sell, and should be given to Isabella. She may be right.