i’ve begun sewing my dress, starting with the linings and facings!

aligning facing pieces and lining.

hand basted darts and staystitching at the neckline.

i did some seam stitch and finishing tests with the lining, since i’d never sewn this type of fabric before.  this was stolen donated from my mom’s stash when i visited her last.  i believe that it’s a poly satin, but i’ve yet to do a burn test to verify.  i do love a good burn test.

1. overlock only

2. straight stitch and overlock

3. straight stitch and faux-overlock stitch (fauxverlock? yes!)

4. straight stitch and pinked seams.  this is clearly the neatest, though it may not be the strongest.  i’m going for it, and will treat my new dress with the utmost care!

here is the last muslin.  i took in the side seams and lowered the shoulders where the pins are, plus eliminated the little dip in the neckline, but i just went straight to sewing the final dress.  no more muslins!  i hope it fits well.

this dress form does not represent my body shape or measurements, so the fit is much better on me.  she’s a loaner from my mother-in-law, and from the 20’s i think.  she’s very… pointy.  the chest is quite generous, as are the hips, and i can’t quite get it all down to my size.  but she’s great for looking at garments on (fit aside) and for keeping projects in progress out of the way.  basically she’s a hanger, but i really like her!