My Heart's Pleasure

This is my new green dress. It's a thing I'm the most contented about of all my creation.When I have time and sun, there'll be a better photo on this place.

And there's a room for big Thanks to my boyfriend who helped me a lot with it. This is the fingerloop on the bodice that he made himself.

Green Dress Finishing

I can't, and don't want to, sew this long stripe in hand as the sleeves. I cut the leaves with one cm allowance on both sides, sewed it to the same width green stripe and folded like this. Ironing.

I put the black stripe's edge to the dress' one, right side to right side. Ironing like this. I folded it along the line that's on the right now and sewed (on the face) just between the green and black.

Bingo, stitched are almost invisible from the face side :-D Yeah

The Very Last Leaves

Today I only managed to join the embroidery to a circle, adding some siw leaves or so. It's about Two and half a meter long.

Front Gore

How to make the gore smooth and flat? Without making a seam througt the whole dress it's pretty tricky.

As necklines are the only thing I'm probably good at I'll use its technic :-)
I've sewn this piece of fabric to the upper end of the future gore. After sewing I cut it in the middle and turned it to the wrong side. Then I've added the whole gore (without the pike). Now I can use the hidden backstitch to attach the gore to the upper ply and maybe once rip out the middle auxiliary one.

Why does it always have to be so complicated:-)

Sleeve Leaves

I must admit that the feeling of cutting the prepared embroidery's not an easy matter. There's a piece of my heart in it and fear of spoiling it.

I cut the sleeve pieces and I've sewn them to the sleeves along the lower hem (the line on the right). Then I turned it to the right side and sewed it to a circle.

The embroidery had to be completed which took me some time. I draw all the leaves freehand, with very sharp yellow pencil. When the pencil is sharp enough it lets the track easily.

I folded the upper edge inside and used my favourite (not really, but the most useful for me :) ) invisible backstitch.

Belt and Necklines

I had big problems looking for a belt suitable to my dress. I'd prefered a textile one.
And today I was lucky. I found a natural strip of fabric in a shop, in a linen and cotton green colour. Coincidence?.-)

I wanted to put it together with a buckle I had bought before. It was wider so I ripped a piece and weaved it back after inserting the buckle.

I'll have to sew it afterwards, now I don't have enough time. I tried to cover the belt edge but I'll have to do it as if I had made the strip myself - to finish with weaving again.

And this is usual neckline work. I used to cut it some few milimeters from the line before sewing but after my velvet experience with non-fitting pieces I decided to cut it after sewing. The front panel is on the top - I sew along this drawn line cause it's more important.

Both necklines done, the green edge attached with back stitch as well as the linen one. The belt just suits! ;-)

Petty Neck

I've done the neck - the usual process, and in the end I attached it with some hand backstitching. (Sleeves were backstitched as well.) I have chosen a pattern to complete it but I'm not sure yet.

If I do it, it'll be the chained feather stitch from Annie's vocab of stitches, outlined with two backstitch lines. I tried it and I didn't believe how nice it was ;)

Green Gores

I've cut the gores - double for back, two doubles for sides and a single one for the front.

Today I inserted the side gores. It was easy because there's a seam already on the sides. The front will be worse :-(
At first I've sewn the two gores to the side and finally attached them together in the middle.

I tried to draw the neckline but there's no point taking it seriously until the petticoat neck is done.

Petty Gores

I added the rest of the gores to the petticoat. Two to the front and two bigger to the back. I didn't sew the two gores together first but I sewed them separately to the dress instead. This way I can see if the gores fit well and in case of need I can easily work with them using the middle seam.
I put too small gores to the sides, next time I'd use one small gore to the front, and the other three big.

And I must say that I found a very interesting tool today. I don't have to look for inspiration for a long time anymore, it comes to me:) Just check this Google Reader thing at Sharon's post.

Petticoat Bodice

I made a mistake as far as the petty. The back seam was not in the center. And I had to make a bodice as I wasn't able to put it on. I've made a paper model at first:) I cut a hole (pic. 1) to correct the falsity.

I prepared a rectangle and ironed it like this, then sewed the narrower half, right side to the right side. Folded the bottom, the center of the triangles is not equal to the one of the halves. I folded the piece according to the ironing and sewed neatly at the right line so that the stitches almost wouldn't be visible (it attaches the back side of the strip as it's a bit wider than the front side). The same for the other piece. Finishing the triangel is a matter of hand sewing.

Today I bought metal eyelets. I'd like them to be covered with a cotton - as if sewed in hand but stronger. If I have time once, cause now I'm in a hurry. The 12th is the ball I want this dress for:) There won't be this nasty black something, I want a fingerloop cord there instead.

Cottesimple was right, this picture was taken without a bra and it seems like a good support.
In the meantime I've sewn the sleeves together and added two gores to the sides (too little yet). And today I undertook a neckline.