Late Summer Cotton Lace Dress - Vogue 9062

This is another piece from my last fabric stash swap! (Thanks Ali!) The fabric was a bit unruly to sew due to the loose weave. But it was surprisingly comfortable when I tried it on before I inserted the lining. The fabric is more crochet than delicate lace, and the extra layer of weight made it more of a Spring or late Summer piece. The lining was made by combining silk organza and ivory cotton. See below for more assembly photos.

Keeping the back pattern aligned was challenging. It DID stretch along the back seam. Luckily, I did not need to install a zipper. I had to rip out the back and reposition the pattern again before sewing. It was so frustrating.

I really like my little faux crystal button.

This is one of those patterns with adjustable cup sizes. If you remember, my Frida Kahlo tribute linen dress had the same option, and the cup size ran pretty big for me. I cut it down to a B cup, but made the dart for a size 18 instead of a 16. I thought this was a good compromise since I don't really wear supportive or push-up bras. I also shortened the sleeve by half the length, and omitted the ruffle. This pattern did not disappoint...it really was a Very Easy Vogue pattern. I am considering using this pattern for the guipure lace top. All I need to do is shorten the tunic version. But before I do, I have an eyelet cotton top I want to make first. I swear it will be my final muslin before the guipure. Besides, I can't wear guipure right now...it is too darn hot and humid around here.

I shortened the sleeve by half, and omitted the ruffle.

Here are some photos of how I made the lining. I wanted as much lace to show on the skin without it being too sheer on the main parts of my body. Adding a solid white lining would have hidden the lace, turning a once delicate pattern into an even stark white. This is why wearing beige or ivory underneath white is more natural looking.

I cut the lining very short to show more lace at the hem, and made an organza silk upper bodice and neckline. Using ivory cotton for the body of the dress, provided the right modesty coverage while the organza made the main lining look like it was floating magically on the body.

Dress lining.

You can barely see the silk organza. I also used a very light grey
bias binding for the neckline. I really like the subtle contrast.

To make the lining, I coped the front and back of the dress pattern.

Next, I cut the top of the bodice off and added seam allowances to cut areas.

This is what the first version of the lining looked like. I ended up not using the base organza bottom hem. I also replaced this first version, made of synthetic organza with the proper silk kind. 

Given the limited pattern pieces, there really wasn't much sewing. Most of my time was spent designing and stitching the lining. I certainly feel a lot more confident about making linings for lace now. Happy sewing!

T

Spring Lace Dress

Hooray! I finally finished one of my Spring projects!  It was one of those sewing projects that I thought would only take me a weekend to finish.  A month later...here I am.  There were a lot of "firsts" for this dress.  It was my first attempt at using a Burda Style pattern that I downloaded from the internet.  The initial taping of the pattern together was a pain. But I do like the fact that my paper (standard copy paper) is more durable and easy to re-use.

The dress was made from a cotton lace that ended up having a lot of stretch.  I pre-washed and dried it in the dryer and it still came out soft and held its shape.  I found the lace fabric at the 50% off table at Hart's Fabric in Santa Cruz.  (Score!) The lining is a very unusual bright pink cotton, and had a lovely weight to it (almost like a light linen), but it didn't stretch as much as the lace.  This was going to be a potential fitting problem.  I had never really worked with lace before or stitched a contrasting lining that would be a major part of the dress design.

Because this is a pullover dress, I needed to make sure that the lining was going to fit over my head and my chubby little body.  A couple of ladies from my Google Plus community saved the day by suggesting that I cut the lining on the bias, and then make long slits on the side.  I did exactly these two things, and the lining fit perfectly.

I used Burda Style Wedding Dress #104, and of course made quite a few changes.  The dress had a lot more ease than expected.  It ended up being a couple of sizes too big for me after cutting, and the finished product is still a little loose.  The back is supposed to be two panels sewn up the center back, but I made it into a single panel because I thought it showed off the lace more and designed a key-hole cut out instead of the original seam opening at the neck.  I think mine looks better.  :-)  I also made the sleeve shorter, and I did not put in the pockets because I was afraid the added weight would make the lace stretch.  Happy Spring sewing!

Here's a close-up of the dress so you can see the contrasting pink lining better.