Go With the Flow Dress - Done and Done!

I finished up the dress a couple of days ago, but I have been unable to post because I have been running around getting ready to go back to school. I'm back to the grind on Tuesday.

To finish the dress, I hemmed the lining using the double fold technique (I folded up 1" and then folded up again 1.25"). For the fashion fabric, I tried various options:

• double fold hem - too heavy
• baby hem - too fiddly
• pseudo rolled hem (close spaced zigzag around the raw hem edge, trimming any stray threads) - just right!

The back closes with 10 buttons/button loops. To give the buttons extra stability, I sewed them on through a piece of twill tape.

The skirt on this dress is quite heavy (I figure it consists of 8 yards of fabric), so I installed a waist stay. A waist stay is useful as it allows the heavy skirt to hang from the waist, instead of the neck (which in the case of a halter like this would make for a very uncomfortable garment).

Lastly, to give the garment a bit of subtle zing, I beaded the front centre panel with bugle and seed beads. It is very understated, but when the light hits the beads, it adds a nice sparkle. ETA, a close-up picture of the beading. Sorry folks, I don't know how I forgot to post this picture in the first place!



So, without further ado, here is the finished product.
I am pleased with the finished product. There were times during the construction process that I though I would lose my mind. But, I persevered (I figure close to 25 hours went into this dress from design to layout, cutting, sewing, finishing and embellishing) and I'm glad I did. This dress can be dressed up, with fabulous jewellery and shoes for formal events. It can also be dressed down with a cute cardigan and fabulous shoes (hey, you always have to have fabulous shoes).
This dress is my entry in the Timmel Summer 2007 contest. I look forward to seeing what others have entered - I am always so inspired by seeing what other sewers create. If you're interested, head on over to Timmel Fabrics next week. If you are a newsletter subscriber, you can vote for your favourite.

As usual, my husband (my own little Peter Parker), gets me laughing. It's actually pretty easy for me to dissolve into a fit of giggles during these "photo shoots" because I always feel like such a twit while he's taking pictures. I can only imagine what the neighbours must be thinking!