Yesterday morning, we woke up to 2 inches of snow in Boston, but today it is sunny and about 60º F. I love spring in New England, where the weather whipsaws you from elation to depression in under 24 hours. But spring, with warm weather, is on its way, and I've been working on and off on a dress to celebrate when it does finally arrive. I decided to try a pattern that is on the far edges of my wheelhouse, and I pulled out Simplicity S8875.
This is a dress with an empire bodice with bust gathers, sleeve variations and optional gathered, tiered hemline. I made View B, with the gathered tier, and short sleeves.
I made this with some silk/cotton voile from the late lamented Milly design house. This fabric has been in my stash since before I closed up the old site. I refer to it as "Deep Stash", and this fabric is lovely and lightweight. It's also quite sheer, so I'll be making a slip dress to wear underneath.
First off, I did a full bust adjustment.
I also added 1/2 inch to the top of the skirt piece to match the bodice adjustment, tapering to nothing at the seam where the skirt meets the ruffled tier.
Because this fabric is so lightweight, I stabilized areas that needed it using tissue paper.
I started out by sewing and then serging the shoulder seams, but I didn't really love that treatment, so I decided to use French Seams for the majority of the garment.
That was particularly hellish when it came to the tiered ruffle. It was suggested that I should have used a Hong Kong finish, but that wasn't the look I wanted. I really like the delicacy of the French seam in this fabric. I did use a silk organza Hong Kong finish on the center back seam, because it has an invisible zipper.
Speaking of which, Kenneth D. King's method for installing an invisible zipper is now my FAVORITE way to do so. Get your bad self over to Threads' YouTube channel and try it. It will change your zipper installing life.
I mitered the corners of the narrow hem on the tiered ruffle.
Other than my self-inflicted sewing slowdowns, this went together quite easily. I really like the 1930s vibe this dress gives off, and of course, I love the flamingo fabric! Here are pictures of the dress on Shelley:
Oh, and one other thing I really like is the tuck on the short sleeve. It makes the sleeve slightly puffy without being precious.
I was originally thinking that I would make this as a date-night dress or perhaps even for going to dinner on our anniversary in June. I hope we'll be able to go out by then, but who knows.
And speaking of current events, I hope you and your loved ones are all safe, healthy and hanging in there. These are uncharted waters for almost all of us. But we'll get through it and we'll be stronger and (hopefully) kinder for it.
Conclusion - Parting Mooshie Shot!
Mooshie is settling in wonderfully, and he's a bright little ray of sunshine in these trying times. You can see lots of pictures of him on my Instagram Feed (and you don't need to have an account to access it).
It's nice to have a dog in the house again.
Happy sewing!
