Orange Dress - Done

The only thing left for today is the fastening. I used dark metal grommets. I put them as far from the slit as possible, they just touch the serging stitches.

The orange dress has two centimeters larger neckline than the petticoat and its shorter so that one could see both of the dresses.

I love the design, my customer made it up herself.

Orange Dress - Almost Finished

I pinned the sleeves with right sides together. I drew the cap and cut both at a time.

I basted the sleeves to the garment body and sewed. You can see the waves at the shoulder - the sleeve should be slightly gathered at the upper part to fit the arm well, but no wrinkles are allowed!

The dress is almost finished, the only ugly thing is the lower hem. I marked the length at the fitting with pins.

I pinned the lower part symmetrically, drew two nice paralel lines and cut off the excess.

I serged the the lower hem, ironed it and sewed on. When you sew a circle you may lock just at one end (over the first line of stitches).

Orange Dress - Progress

I had most of the dress sewn, so I got down to serging.

At the gores, I folded the tip inwards so that I could serge the gore's seam allowance together with the dress' one.

At the fastening (front), I couldn't fold the tip inwards because it would be visible at the slit. I serged it and then folded outwards and overcasted with hand stitches.

I ironed fusible web on the edges of fastening and folded inwards several times. It should be as stiff as possible (the bodice shouldn't wrinkle when you lace it up tight) and I wouldn't have to serge it.

I made the lining piece for the neckline, ironed fusible web, serged and marked the line for stitching.

I laid it right side to the right side of the dress and folded the fastening edges once back (I unfolded the last fold). I sewed up to the edge.

Then I could turn it over, iron and sew a line of decorative stitches to catch the lining piece.

I didn't know how to serge a slit with open seam allowances. I found out it was so easy! You just cut the slit as far that it's as wide as your serge stitches when you press it open.

By the way, this is the elbow slit - it's not horizontal as the petticoat's one. I made it vertical so that it could serve as the base for the arm lacing (slit).

I use this way to sew a corner. I mark the place where the edges will meet. Then I draw a perpendicular to the basting. I join the point where this line meets the edge with the corner.

This is what I get.

I sewed it exactly at the bias lines and cut the excess off.

This way you can get neat flat corners:-)

I drew the line for the decorative stitches. I sewed along the lower edge, along the slit, through the drawn V and back to the lower edge. I sew at the serging line to attach the lining pieces.

Orange Dress - Body

I cut out the long panels. As you can see I usually baste the curved lines (breast, upper back) while the rest remains only pinned.
These curves are always basted and sewn at the side panels.

I cut out and pinned the sleeves too. The sleeve is fitted and has a slit at the wrist. The fastening is at the middle front. All of these are toughtened with fusible web.

I sewed the body's vertical seams and the sleeves' seams.

Lilly Surcoat - Done

The last thing to do on the lilly surcoat - the lacing at the neck.
Before I hammered the grommets, I glued them all to be sure they wouldn't tear out.

The finished surcoat - meant for a knight girl.

Lilly Surcoat - Assembling

So now I have all of the parts decorated. The next will be the collar.

I sewed the body together at the hips and shoulders.
I folded it in the middle, wrong sides in. I cut the shape of the neckline and measured it with a meter in an upright position.

I drew the collar pattern on a piece of interfacing. I cut it out and ironed on a bias strip of velvet.

I folded it in the middle,right sides in, sewed the ends and cut the seam allowance. You can see I folded the outer collar's seam allowance upwards.

I pinned the inner collar to the wrong side of the neckline. It's advisable to mark the center back and position of shoulder seam on the collar so that it could look symmetrical.

I sewed the collar in and ironed the seam allowance to the collar. I laid the outer collar to cover the basic stitches and sewed on near the edge.

I hemmed the lower edge of the skirt and the sleeves. Although the sleeves' edge should be curved, at the original surcoat I was sewing according to, there was this straigt version as well.
Then I basted and sewed the sleeves.

I put the body to the skirt, middle to middle, and sewed.

I turned the surcoat inside out and put the sleeve through the neck to the armhole.
I basted it in. You may see that at the shoulder part, the sleeve is slightly gathered - it's a tailors' trick for the sleeve to fit well on the shoulder.

As the final touch, I sewed the seam allowances (pressed open) to the sleeve at the lower edge.

The main work on this surcoat is finished:-)

Lilly Surcoat - Lillies

The longest part in this costume's creation - the decoration.
I ironed the fusible interfacing to the black velvet. I ironed it over baking paper, cause it had the glue on both sides. The paper must be peeled off very carefully - not upwards, for the interfacing to stay in place.

I drew the flowers on - one big and a lot of small ones.

This little army is waiting for me to sew them on:-D
Most of them are meant for the skirt, according to the future owner's design.

I marked all of the positions of the lillies.
Before sewing, I ironed each lilly on the place. I didn't iron more of them because the glue doesn't stick well on the hairs - it could be debased when I move the whole skirt through the little throat of my machine..

I drew the inner shapes on each lilly just before sewing as well - the chalk disappears from the velvet as fast as hell:-)

The applications are sewed on using a dense zig-zag stitch.

Lilly Surcoat - Ribbon

The surcoat has been fitted so I can get down to the creation:-)
I basted all the lines for the ribbon. And I made templates - one big for the breast shield and one small for the rest.

I sewed on the ribbon. I decorated the skirt that'd been sewn yet, so I had to fold one end of the ribbon backwards. At the sleeves, this wasn't necessary, as I decorated them disassambled.

I sewed the ribbon to the shield. The ribbon was syntetical, so I was pleasantly surprised...

...that it could be ironed to the shape of the shield quite easily:)
Btw I always sew on bands at both edges, I hate them sticking out.

Orange Dress - Petticoat Finished

I completed the sleeves. I took each sleeve and inserted it into the armcye of the dress. The dress is wrong side out while the sleeves are right side out.
I sewed the sleeves in the armcye.

I had a slit for the zipper at the left side of the dress.

I pinned the zipper, starting from the armcye, downwards ...

... and back upwards at the other side. The zipper teeth are aligned with the edge of the slit. I sewed half a centimeter along the slit at the right side.

The neckline's lining is hand-stitched to the dress with an invisible stitch so it couldn't move or stick out.
The petticoat is finished for now. The only thing that's left is the lenght - it must be measured at the fitting.

Orange Dress - Petticoat

My new project is a dress for a member of our group Immortalis. She designed it to match the rest of our dresses:-)

I shrinked the cotton canvas in the washing machine and cut the panels out.
I sewed the vertical seams and the shoulders together.
The breast and the upper back should always be sewn at the side panel - it's easier to sew the curve this way.

We both love wide skirts so I widened the dress with gores.

You can see how I fold the tip of the gore's seam allowance when serging it.

I cut out the lining pieces for the neckline and side zipper, ironed the fusible web on and serged them.

The shape was derived from the pattern of the dress' neckline and side seam. The neckline lining piece has shoulder seams (it's made from the front and back piece).

I put the neckline piece on the neckline, right sides together. I sewed a curve a cm from the edge. Then I could turn it over, iron and sew a securing line of stitches close to the neck line.

The same with the zipper part. I sewed the pieces right sides to the right side of the dress, turned over, iron..

The last thing for today is the elbow tuck. The sleeves are shaped with it, it's at the elbow part of the sleeve's back edge. Every tuck must be curved at the tip, and this one is no exception:-)