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Sunday 4 May 2014

Done and dusted

I’ve finally finished the first of my cruise dresses.


It seems like it’s been going on forever !!! I don’t usually take this long to make a dress, it’s just with Mr Gertie finishing work recently, we’ve been having lie-ins and getting out and about. Plus while I’ve been sewing instead of listening to music, I put my DVD’s on. Bad move as I ended up watching them....

Even though I had worked the size and fit out from the toile, after cutting out the pattern pieces from the dress fabric I tacked them together instead of machine stitching.

This was the first time I’d seen how the dress would look in the fabric and as the toile was made up from any old material, it was always going to drape differently. As it happened the two back side pieces needed to be taken in slightly.


Before cutting out the front pleat panel I altered it again (just a slight reshaping at the sides) and tried it for size next to the dress fabric. The contrasting in colours looked really good, so much so, that Mr Gertie even suggested I do something like that if I make the dress again.

After what seemed like endless toile fittings and alterations, the time had come to machine stitch the dress together.


As far as the pattern was concerned the dress should be finished. However I decided to put a lining in it. I don’t do it for all the dresses I make – wearing a simple slip is just as good – but in this case I thought it would be worth doing.

There was rather a lot of hand sewing involved and as I like to try and make my stitches as small and neat as possible, it took quite a while.

It’s been a long haul to get there but I’m really pleased with it. Now it’s the turn of number two....

Have a great week.

Love,

Gertie xx

PS why not pop over to Handmade Monday to see what other fellow craft bloggers have been up to.

11 comments:

  1. That is a fab dress. Not easy material so well done x Joan

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  2. What a great dress. You are going to look super posh in it, worth all the time taken to make it.

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  3. What a great dress! A really beautiful colour. Make sure to take a photo of you wearing it on your cruise x

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  4. Great to see the finished dress, well done. I think I need a 'gertie' as I recently cut out a dress for me from a pattern I'd made up before but this time it is far too small and I loved the fabric. I always imagine if you have a 'gertie' then mistakes are less likely and also you don't get pins in yourself during fittings!

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  5. Oh Gertie, it's absolutely stunning! I love the way it drapes in the front. Congrats to you for making such a beautiful dress. I'm sure you will enjoy wearing it, too.

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  6. Yay, well done. Sounds like a lot of work, but worth it in the end

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  7. Your dress looks gorgeous. I love the colour. It's definitely been worth putting in the time to make sure it's perfect.
    Ali xx

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  8. Yay! Well done for completing it, the purple fabric you've used is sooo pretty, you will be the belle of the ball :) x

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  9. Your dress looks great. I would love to see a picture of you wearing it, perhaps on the ship sailing into the sunset! I am going to post about the bridesmaid dress soon. Funnily the only stipulation was that it should be purple, but have realised over the last few weeks that purple comes in may different varieties.

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  10. It's beautiful Gertie, you're going to look stunning on your cruise.

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  11. It looks great, I agree it would be lovely to see you in it:) leisurely lie in sounds great too:)

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