This is one of the projects that came all the way from New Zealand. I cut out the XS before I left, with no changes to the pattern. Since returning from Switzerland I've been on a sewing bender. I have to say that I miss the peace of sewing the Georgia and taking a month to do it. On one hand I really want to get all these languishing projects completed, but on the other hand, I don't have a burning desire to own all these dresses...I am starting to appreciate taking more time with each project, instead of rushing through them, as well as actually picking projects that I really want to wear for a specific purpose. That has definitely been my goal and my mindset for this year.
Unfortunately, a lot of projects from New Zealand have come with me and they predate my new mindset. So I still want to get them done, preferably now now now! (Not known for having patience.) It seems best to finish them and learn from them before I move on to some more difficult, and slower, challenges.
I liked the fit of the La Sylphide shirt, but I hated the bow. So I cut it off. I wasn't sure how that would work for a neckline. The raw silk that I got is from a seller on etsy and is hand-dyed with organic materials. This does mean that there is some colour variation and that ironing it can leach the colour a bit. It is amazing to work with - it irons easily, behaves exactly as you want, and has a lovely drape. In fact as I came around to that neckline...I thought that bow might have been less annoying in this fabric. Oops.
I paid extra care to the little space between the top of the placket and the neckpiece, and manage to get everything topstitched without a gap - I had a lot of trouble with that gap in the first version and I know other people did too and just camoflaged it with the bow. This time around I also finished all my seams by zig-zagging the seam allowance together. For some reason I hadn't thought to do that in the past except on knits, and it created a great finish. I french seamed the skirt and the shoulders, but the silk is really too thick for that to work anywhere else. The buttonholes were a bit of stress as the last time I tried to buttonhole on the Necchi it created a thread-birdsnest. I practiced a bit first and they actually went really smoothly. Unfortunately I ignored the button placement instructions and I think that mine don't look well placed- I left irregular spaces and I think I'll put a tiny snap at the widest part of the bust to make sure it stays together. I'm not too concerned about that though, I'm happy with how this came out.
I knew the fit was spot on from making the shirt, and in the end this has turned out a really fabulous dress!
Unfortunately, a lot of projects from New Zealand have come with me and they predate my new mindset. So I still want to get them done, preferably now now now! (Not known for having patience.) It seems best to finish them and learn from them before I move on to some more difficult, and slower, challenges.
I liked the fit of the La Sylphide shirt, but I hated the bow. So I cut it off. I wasn't sure how that would work for a neckline. The raw silk that I got is from a seller on etsy and is hand-dyed with organic materials. This does mean that there is some colour variation and that ironing it can leach the colour a bit. It is amazing to work with - it irons easily, behaves exactly as you want, and has a lovely drape. In fact as I came around to that neckline...I thought that bow might have been less annoying in this fabric. Oops.
I paid extra care to the little space between the top of the placket and the neckpiece, and manage to get everything topstitched without a gap - I had a lot of trouble with that gap in the first version and I know other people did too and just camoflaged it with the bow. This time around I also finished all my seams by zig-zagging the seam allowance together. For some reason I hadn't thought to do that in the past except on knits, and it created a great finish. I french seamed the skirt and the shoulders, but the silk is really too thick for that to work anywhere else. The buttonholes were a bit of stress as the last time I tried to buttonhole on the Necchi it created a thread-birdsnest. I practiced a bit first and they actually went really smoothly. Unfortunately I ignored the button placement instructions and I think that mine don't look well placed- I left irregular spaces and I think I'll put a tiny snap at the widest part of the bust to make sure it stays together. I'm not too concerned about that though, I'm happy with how this came out.
I knew the fit was spot on from making the shirt, and in the end this has turned out a really fabulous dress!
I love it!
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