Update on the Butterick 9265 Dress

 Ok, so two days before the wedding deadline, I brought out from my wardrobe a lovely homemade vintage 70s empire line dress in a cream and decided it needed an airing and the wedding would be perfect.  Last time I had worn was a year and a week before for a garden party.  I was around 35 weeks pregnant and had to deeply breath in to get the back zip done up but I was determined to wear it! It flowed over the bump beautifully anyway.

The following weekend, at another wedding I wore a modern 40s/50s look dress in a black lined cotton with purple, blue and white flowers.  I wouldn't normally wear black to a wedding but this dress just seemed to be right so I teamed it with purple tights and black shoes. When I got to the wedding I discovered it was themed with the same shade of purple! I shall add photos this week.

Any way, what has this got to do with the Butterick dress?  Well I supposed to be wearing it to the first wedding and, since I changed my mind, I didn't get on with finishing it.  To be honest I've made so many changes I've lost my impetus somewhat but I must must finish it.  My new deadline is 22nd August for Mango's first birthday!



The most adjusted bit is the bodice, here is the pattern view bodice:

Could I get it to look pretty like that?! The neckline came up too high and there just felt like there was too much fabric across my bust.




So I ended up reducing it pretty much to a deep V surplice although with enough fabric to preserve modesty! The tuck darts look pretty cute in the muslin too.

 

But I was still contemplating converting them to gathers to make like easier, I'd seen it on a few other patterns of the time and more modern.  These were my alternative inspiration pics for the surplice:

 

Then when I was fitting my lining before I cut out the outer dress layers I stumbled across a new alternative.  I tried on the lining inside to get a matt finish to  mimic the dress crepe and the neck flopped back into a satiny rever collar, "oooh pretty" I thought!  So here it is in its new design in lining and then with the actual crepe outer dress layer in place.  You can see I was toying with doing the midriff in the satin side too but decided it was overload.  The revers are interfaced now to give them structure and support as is the midriff because I wanted a super smooth stomach line to mimic the corsetted look.

  

It all needs sewing together now, its so close, just got to find my sewing mojo and get on with it.  The matching petticoat is also in mid-production, I wanted to try gathering the layers with my ruffling foot but that's proving to require so much thought and input it would probably be quicker to hand gather!  Since I intend to make more petticoats, I think its worth taking the time now to learn how to do the machine way and make the process quicker in future. That's the logic anyway haha.

Hold the Front Page!

Two bits of news.  First I've got round to adding some pics and details on my 9265 project page .

Secondly I am anxiously awaiting a new arrival!  My very first overlocker will arrive on Friday (it could have been yesterday but I ordered it 45 minutes after their courier had been, boo hiss!).

After reading many, many glowing reviews I am getting the Brother 1034D.  I really can't wait to get going with this baby which is good considering I've always been afraid of them and have avoided them as if they were a monster which 4 heads!  When I look at overlockers I think, wow that's a lot of thread to tangle, but now I am looking forward to getting creative with it and churning out those lovely pro seams, locked, finished and cut in one go (am I being overly optimistic here?)!

Thrown in with it I am getting three accessory feet - blind hem, gathering, and piping which seems to be a standard offer at the moment and a load of thread, some scissors and bits aaaaand free annual services. Woot!   :-)

While shopping I was wondering what the difference is between Brother 3034 and 1034, I have it on dealer authority that there isn't really one except a little cosmetics and dealer exclusivity and I noted the feet don't come bundled with the 3034 despite it's slightly higher price tag.