BWOF 10/07 105 - Grey Dress - Progress

Success!

I managed to fix the facing last night. The invisible zip doesn't look perfect, but it's better than it was, and it's enough for me. I also got the facing stitched down, and basted the armscyes of the facing and outer shell together, ready for the sleeve insertion. Go me.

Next up: the sleeves. Ideally, I'd like to get them hemmed and inserted tonight. Then there's just the belt, the pocket tabs and self-covered buttons and the hem. Don't think I've forgetten anything.

I'm really excited about this one. I've tried it on and I think it's going to be a lovely dress. Even if it is another grey garment.

I think I might be venturing to Oxford Street tonight -- John Lewis and Macculloch and Wallis. Unwise? Almost certainly. But I need to unwind after a chaotic week. I have a coupld of items in mind, a retro blouse, a long jaquard skirt and a jersey dress. All, naturally, from Burda World of Fashion. I also need a buckle for the grey dress and a strip of leather for Paul's coat, so there is actual need here.

Honest.

10/07 - 105 -- Progress

Frustratingly, I've stalled on this. The last think I did was attach the facing, and unfortunately the top of the invisible zipper looks like crap. Ugh.

I sewed the facing to the edge first rather than the top -- call it an experiemnt -- and I'm now kicking myself. Tonight the plan it to rip the stitches attaching the edge to the facing and do it the old-fashioned way -- hand-stitching the fazing to the zip. Hopefully this shouldn't be too much of an issue, although I've already done some trimming so it might be a little tight.

I like invisible zipsm but I find finishe=ing the top of them rather tricky at times. Sometimes it seems more luck than judgement. Maybe I just need to sit down and work my way through a bunch of samples -- great idea, except that I always have something (usually several somethings) on the go, and it seems like my time would be better spent on those.

Anyway, my task for tonight (and I do want to get it finished tonight) is to fix and finish the Facingm including pressing and understitching. If I have time to slipstitch it to the waist seam, so much the better, but I'm not going to push myself on that. It's the facing I want to get finished.

All Quiet on the Blogging Front

Perhaps it's just me, but the sewing blogland has seemed rather quiet of late. Is no one blogging, or is everyone far too busy sewing?

I know I have been. I've also been dragging my lazy carcass back to the gym. I'm off there after work today, in fact. It's just a matter of trying to build the habit, although I know I should be going back to the classes. If I book in for one then I have to go.

I spent most of yesterday evening listening to sewing podcasts and cutting out the dress from BWOF 10/07 -- 105. I cut a little extra in the outer bodice (no room for it in the lining), but it seems like there's a lot of stretch to my fabric. Maybe that's wishful thinking though. It was a bit of a squeeze, as my fabric was narrower than I'd realised, but I got everything cut out in the end. After the gym I'm going to do any necessary interfacing, and then hopefully it should be ready to sew.

The fabric itself I think I love. It was from Croft Mill (sadly missed, at least in my household), and I can't remember what it was. It has a lovely feel to it (so much nicer than the fabric I'm using for the jacket muslin), and I think it should make up into a lovely dress.