The Little Red Dress all ready for Christmas! (Simp 2771)

 

I think you can tell I am pleased. I like the dress but not the fact that I can't see the buttons on the camera without my glasses so sorry about the face glare!

The dress is very comfortable to wear and a bit heavy. The waist stay makes a big difference. I did end up hand picking and then beading the zip. It looks really pretty and is subtle but noticeable. I used three red delica beads to a stitch so it definitely shows up. 

Pattern: Simplicity 2771, an "Amazing Fit" design. It gives you options for A-D cup sizes and can be cut slim, regular, or curvy. I would have needed the curvy but that was a moot point as I chose to do a full skirt instead. Be careful figuring out the correct size pattern. Don't use their chart other than to figure your cup size. Use the pattern by your high bust measurement or whatever size always works for you and just use the appropriate bust size. I think I got a pretty good fit on the bodice. 

Fabric: Silk purse out of a sow's ear? Hopefully! I purchased this red stretch lace off the clearance table at JAs for 2.00 a yard. I know, embarrassing, but the color was spot on. The only drawback with the fabric was the lack of scallops which would have really enhanced the design further. I bought the whole rest of the bolt so had plenty for the skirt which is about a 100 inches wide. The lining, in keeping with the quality,is a red poly charmeuse. I wasn't going to put Bemberg under this lace! Just my personal fabric buying philosophy....All in all the fabrics were not difficult to sew and really the lace was quite accommodating. 

Construction: Once the fit was worked out the directions were very clear, almost too much direction! I referred to them only a bit but there are pages of directions and this would be excellent for a beginner. I treated the lace and lining as one in the bodice and separately in the skirt, therefore the hand picked zipper. This meant that at the bottom of the zipper the seam allowances were slashed at an angle and each fabric treated as a separately hanging skirt with its own seam allowance. It came out very neatly in the end. My pic of the beaded zipper is somehow erased so I will try to get that to you all later. 

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I attached a waist stay. Something told me (my gut) to add a section of non roll elastic to the waist stay. Was I ever glad I did! I know I would have had difficulty getting the dress on and off otherwise. I really like the way the stay  carries the weight of the dress adding to its comfort.

I really apologize for the picture quality. I am still getting used to this camera. Truthfully, like all of you, I am sure, I am under the gun and therefore the delay in getting the pics out to you as well as not fussing too much with getting the perfect one. At this point all sewing is done. I haven't shown you  the all the AG clothes I have been making. They are cute and all packed up in their new "case" including a smocked bishop for the new addition. That took some time. And there's been the cooking. If you were here  I would make sure you got some pistachio cookies and a glass of  holiday cheer. 

I will leave you with the view we woke up to this morning. Its very cold and crisp and just the perfect amount of snow for Santa to do his work. I wish you all a wonderful Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I may not be posting for the next week so drive carefully, enjoy your loved ones and may the holiday be all you hoped for. God bless you all!....Bunny

Simplciity 2771, LRD continues...

 

 There are many different ways to do things in the sewing universe and I have been known to even do the same thing several different ways. What's the  Bobbi Brown song say? "That's my prerogative".   I  appreciate all the comments regarding passing on via the blog the details of sewing this dress so I will continue with something you may not have seen anywhere else. It's sort of not kosher, that's why, but it works, and I think it looks good. A little background:

The late Roberta Carr's book, " The Art of Fine Sewing" is one of my favorite references. It is all about couture techniques. She teaches in a down to earth manner and preaches in a repetitive way that makes you learn so much from reading her book. I think  I have read it cover to cover at least three times. One of her cardinal rules that oft gets repeated is "reduce bulk whenever possible". In parts of the book she may pose a problem and she goes back to that commandment to explain how to treat the issue. This saying has so stuck in my head and more than once I have dug in and followed those directions, despite what others may have taught me.  How I handled the bias on this dress is an example and I am glad I did it this way. I have also used this technique on some of my bias heirloom collars and they have worn and washed beautifully. But it is unorthodox. I warned you.

The problem: The combination of lace, lining,  and a "stay" selvedge" on the neckline is a bit of bulk. Adding the bias cut strip of poly (instead of a facing) adds still more bulk, particularly once turned to the inside. Here's what I did: Seams were graded with a pair of pinking shears. The bias strip was understitched and turned to the inside. Then came a good press to keep it there. If I turned under the raw edge of bias to sew it down to the lining there would be more bulk and a possible ridge from pressing. I DIDN'T TURN IT UNDER. I LEFT IT RAW.  No, the bias police did not haul me away. Bias does not ravel. Its edge will stay clean. So I just sewed that one layer to the underlining with a catch stitch (my favorite hand stitch) and ended up with a smooth neckline. I like this simple clean finish.

In the picture above you can see the understitching, the raw bias edge, and the catchstitching securing it to the underlining. There are many ways to do many things and I am liking this way more and more every time I use it. Point here: don't be afraid to think out of the box, particularly if an expert like Roberta Carr is nagging you from the back of your subconscious. You may come up with your own way of doing things that works just as well or  even better than somebody  else's....Bunny

Lunaloo asked in yesterday's comments:  "When you hand pick a zipper, how close are the picks to each other and does fabric choice figure in the decision to pick or not to pick?"  Fabric choice definitely plays into this decision but there are no hard and fast rules I am following here. More important is dealing with the zipper below the waist with the lace and underskirt. What I will end up doing are some samples before I commit the zipper to the dress. I will try out 1/4 inch and 3/8 inch stitches. I also purchased some beads for the zipper. I am not sure they won't just sink right into the lace so we will see. I have two size beads to work with. And after all that I may decide that I don't like the samples and may just do a plain pick. Remember what Bobbi Brown sang?....Thanks for asking, Lunaloo...Bunny

Simplciity 2771, LRD continues...

Here you see the bodice fronts taped to prevent stretching. The lace bodices are underlined with the poly and stitched all around. A poly chiffon selvedge was used to tape the bias edge of the neckline. It was cut 1/4 inch shorter than the actual pattern and the edge distributed along its length. This helps pull in the neckline to the body. If you look close you can see how the selvedge doesn't lay flat but has the fabric underneath bubbling slightly.

After I stitched the underlining to the lace and before taping, each piece was "resquared" checking for any distortion that happened in the stitching, and it did! Once we were resquared on all the bodice pieces it was sew time.

One thing I really like about this pattern, Simp 2217, is the shape built into the back bodice. If you look at the pattern piece you can see the grainline lined up with the lines on the cutting mat. Then look at the CB edge and see the curve. The curve is further accentuated once the dart is sewn and you can  see how it shapes in even  more. Nice little detail.

I should finish the bodice today. I have veered from the pattern in that there will be no facings. I have instead chosen to use a bias finish to the edge.

Another interesting  thing about this pattern is that it has you construct the entire  front and the entire back, skirts included, separately. Then there is a trial fit to adjust side seams and shoulders.I'm not doing that. The bodice will be completed with all seams sewn and then the full skirt and lining connected. This gets tricky with the zipper. You want that skirt to float freely around the zip and I am thinking of how to work that out. I am pretty sure the zip will be hand picked, not the invisible zip that was my initial choice. If I can find the right beads I may even put a bead on the zipper. Hopefully this will all be done tomorrow, or Monday the latest. Too many other things piling up around here....Bunny