Saturday, June 26, 2010

Vogue 8184 - Strapless Dress finished


Well, I barely finished this in time to wear to the wedding this evening, but I'm glad I did. I won't be making the black and white one anytime soon because I just found out that I have to have leg surgery, so my next week and a half will be spent scrambling around trying to get everything in my classroom and home in order (somewhat) because it is a long recovery from ACL surgery. I am not looking forward to it at all. I had the same surgery done on the other leg about 10 years ago and what I remember is waking up in a LOT of pain the day after surgery and it being a very long time before I could get back to a normal life. I will have to take 4-6 weeks off work, but fortunately, I am getting it done soon, so I will only miss about 2 weeks of work, hopefully. Unfortunately, I am starting a new grade this year, so I have no idea what I'm doing as far as planning for a sub (or even myself.)

Well, back to the dress. I ended up putting a lot more effort into this dress than the pattern called for, but I'm glad I did. I really could play volley ball in this dress and not have to worry about it. At the wedding this evening I saw MANY women in strapless dresses, and I also saw many of them, including the bride, tugging at their dresses. I never had to even think about tugging on mine. I did wear a strapless bra with it, but if I had made the top a little tighter, I would not have had to even do that. (and I NEVER go braless) I was so afraid that this was going to be too tight, so I think I ended up making it a little too loose. Even still, this dress fits well and between the pattern designs and the tips I learned in the Kenneth King bustier class really produced a well-made dress.


Here you can see that the boning is sewn at every vertical seam (except the zipper seam), The waist stay, in this case 1"wide polyester grossgrain ribbon, is hand sewn to the boning only. I also sewed a strip of organza ribbon along the top edge of the bodice to prevent any stretching. KK recommends either twill tape or strips of silk organza selvedge. I thought the twill tape would be too bulky, and I didn't have enough organza selvedge, so I thought I would try the organza ribbon since I already had it on had. That worked perfectly.















The skirt on this dress is rather full, but has a 1.25" hem. Usually this ends up in some pleating or "gathering" of the upper edge of the hem. This time I took my time and really used the iron and a spray mist bottle (the steam iron sagas are another story or two) and the skirt edge eased in perfectly with no puckers.






I think there is something weird with this picture because the zipper looks like it doesn't meet at the top. Actually, it does. I put this zipper in by hand because my centered zippers suck. I always put in a lapped zipper, but then it always makes it tricky to get the lining, or even a facing to lie flat and cover the zipper tape but allow you to zip the zipper all the way up. So, if you have a good tip on that for me, let me know. ANyway, this is a hand picked zipper, because I knew I would need a very strong zipper (thinking that it would be tighter than it was) At PR weekend LA a couple of years ago, we had Susan Khalje teach us some couture stitches and I remember her saying that a hand picked zipper is the strongest zipper application.

I'm glad I learned some of the tips from Jennifer Stearn's embroidery class and got the placement for this embroidery exactly where I wanted it. I wore the dress at the wedding tonight and it was comfortable easy to wear. I definitely want to make another one of these again.

18 comments:

Rebecca said...

Your dress is cute and fits you well!

Sigrid said...

Beautiful dress, looks great on you. I had a strapless dress as wedding dress, and remember tugging it :(
Your experience and lessons certainly paid off.

Tany said...

Amazing job, the dress is stunning!

Fran said...

You dress is beautiful and you did a great job with your embroidery. I hope your surgery goes well and that you have an easy recovery.

Amanda S. said...

So pretty! All your efforts were worth it as you achieved such a great fit. Great interior tips as well.

Mary Beth said...

This style is so becoming on you. And I love how you've incorporated your different learning experiences into this post. Taking sewing classes is important to the outcome of the work. This strapless dress turned out beautifully! Congrats :)

Wishing you a speedy recovery (if possible)

Donna W said...

A beautiful dress! The color looks so great on you. Good work on the embroidery.

Linda T said...

Very pretty and well made!

Mariela Alethia said...

Very pretty and it fits you well!

Linda L said...

Bravo! Great job and your embroidery placement is perfect!

Sue said...

Fabulous dress!

Andrea said...

All that hard work paid off. You did a lovely job on this dress. The embroidery was just the right added touch. Now you have me reading about boning which I've never done before.

MushyWear said...

Your dress is gorgeous. What an amazing job on it. Glad it was so comfortable to wear to the wedding! I liked reading the tips about the bodice. Thanks.

cidell said...

Nancy, this dress is wonderful! I love the details. You look so youthful!

Little Hunting Creek said...

This is beautiful! It looks wonderful on you. Wishing you a speedy recovery from surgery.

Summerset said...

Gorgeous! You are absolutely beautiful. The dress fits great, and the embroidery is a great touch!

Adrienne said...

Stunning! This is my favorite strapless dress pattern!

Kitty Couture said...

Oh my! How did I miss this. Your dress is amazing, and you look wonderful!