On Location

I'm hoping to bring you a few location shots this coming year.  Carolyn does this so well.  I set off after the kids had left for school, and I tell you, I was a sweaty, dripping mess when I returned, relishing my air-conditioned office.

The pattern was Vogue 8494.  I made a couture version of this dress several years ago, and always wanted to make a casual version with frills down the v-neck.  Only when I pulled the pattern out, that notion seemed out-of-date.  I did not want to give up on the pattern, so I opted for a pleated collar type thing instead.  The collar is wide and forms a little shoulder covering as well.

Even with the collar, the dress seemed a little plain, so I added an asymmetric pleated flounce on the skirt as well.  Both the collar and the flounce were hand pleated in place (being on-the-run additions to the pattern).

See this next shot.  Well, I took along some other shoes for the photoshoot.  There was no way I could walk the gravel path up the hill in them, so I put them in the backpack with my camera and tripod.  My camera only takes one photo on its self timer and I don't have a remote.  It took all of the 10 sec timer to get into position when wearing the shoes, and then I had to take them off to get back to the camera.  Not to mention holding on to that tree so I did not slip down the slope.  So only one photo in these shoes.  I'll save them for lunching on a city vacation.

The fabric is a beautiful cotton from the Fabric Store in Brisbane.  I don't normally go for black prints, but this one reminded me of the Marc Jacob bird dress, which has a funky vibe about it.  The bodice is self lined.  I was halfway through cutting the bodice and lining when I thought to match prints.  I couldn't exactly match prints, being half-way through, but by swapping a few pieces around and cutting some off grain, I was able to maintain the right amount of print / spacing on the bodice, which was a little tricky with the princess seams.

There is a shop locally that sells thread and regular zippers.  Normally, I would use an invisible zip, but you've got to go with what you have.  It gave me a chance to try our Kathleen Fasanella's tutorial for a lapped zipper with facing, that I printed out yonks ago.   Look how neatly it turned out on the inside.  It looks as though I did not under stitch that section, which I may not have.  I did under stitch the rest of the neckline, but I left this bit when I was following the tutorial for attaching a facing for a sleeveless garment my machine.

The outside is just as neat.

After following those tutorials, I could not work out how to attach the bottom edge of the lining by machine, so I folded it under and slip-stitched in place.

And lastly, my favourite photo from the shoot, though no extra sewing info is to be gleaned from it.