Despite the unusual 30+ degree heat here last week I managed to get the silk prom dress sewn in plenty of time and delivered on Saturday morning to a very happy neighbour. She popped round last night on the way to her prom to let me snap a couple of quick photos.
She looked stunning, and I received a lovely message from her this morning telling me how happy she was with the dress and that it was much admired by her friends. Phew!
As I mentioned in my last post the pattern is BurdaStyle 12/2011 #130 and I made it in silk crepe backed satin in Royal Blue from Beckford Silk. I sewed the dress with the matte crepe side of the silk as the right side of the fabric. We both agreed it gave the dress a more elegant look.
As usual the instructions from the Burda pattern were ‘interesting’ and so I made some of the construction up as I went along!
As the silk is very lightweight I wanted to put as little weight as possible in the seams so I finished them with a ‘stitch and pink’ edging. French seams would have been beautiful but ran the risk of being simply too bulky and heavy. As this is an occasion dress that won’t get a great deal of wear, I’m not concerned about the seam finish not holding up to wear and tear.
The above photo shows the inside of the armhole which is gently held in place with herringbone stitch which catches just a couple of threads of the main fabric to hold it in place and is virtually invisible when you look at the finished dress.
The neckline facing and hem were hand-stitched in place, this time with teeny tiny slip stitches. I wanted them to look almost invisible from the outside…I think I succeeded.
When Katie collected the dress on Saturday morning it looked less than stellar on the hanger.
But…we’d had three fittings and I was confident that all would be well once the dress had been to the dry cleaners for a professional press.
I was right!
Being ultra critical there’s still a little wrinkling on the seams, but only us in the know will notice that and, let’s be honest, all eyes were on Katie, not the seams!
And, of course, the demure front of the dress hides a daring secret at the back…
I lengthened the neck tie, which threads through a casing at the neckline of the front bodice, to nearly 3 metres long to get this dramatic effect.
If you’d asked me a week ago I’d have had choice words to say about this gown, but today, seeing the result and that beautiful, happy smile, I can safely say it was worth every single stitch.
This is a special dress! Your neighbor looks stunning in it.
Doesn’t she just! Thank you!
I just knew it would turn out beautifully but it still made me gasp when I saw her wearing the dress! Absolutely gorgeous! That fabric was perfect for the job. And you did an amazing job with all that hand finishing. Such a selfless and wonderful thing to do for someone else 🙂
Oh thank you for you lovely comment! 🙂
I think she may have turned a few heads on the night!
Absolutely gorgeous! Well done!
Thank you! 😀
Oh WOW! This is just every type of amazing. Beautiful gown for a gorgeous neighbour!
😀 Thank you so much!
That’s is lovely, understated but a maximum impact, perfect colour choice too. Well done, you must be over the moon, not an easy fabric to handle either.
Oh the fabric was a beast. Right at the limits of my skill-set for sure. But she does look lovely so it was worth it.
WOW!! This looks amazing! Your neighbor must have been the belle of the ball!
Thank you! I do hope so!
Absolutely beautiful, she looks stunning and the dress looks very dramatic! Hope you’re proud of yourself? You did a fab job! x
Thank you. I am pleased it turned out ok…I had a few moments of doubt, I don’t mind admitting!
What a very beautiful and elegant dress and Katie is stunning – I love that she looks demurely sexy in it…. 🙂
Thank you. I was very worried about it being too sexy for a 16 year old but I think we kept it on the right side of things. Although obviously Hubby is insistent that Button will be wearing nothing of the sort when she goes to her prom. “Amish” is the word he bandies about the most! 😉
Brilliant, not that I ever doubted it would be anything less than brilliant. Your neighbour looks stunning, I’m sure she was the belle of the ball.
Couldn’t have done it without your emergency pinking shear intervention! 😉 thank you again!
Beautiful! It’s a lovely dress and the perfect colour for her. Thank you for sharing the finishing details too.
Thank you. The colour is stunning and really brings out her eyes, I think. She chose well.
I can imagine that there were many swearie words said over this fabric but you have done an amazing job. The fit is perfect and the dress (and wearer) look stunning. I am sure that she would have got a huge amount of compliments wearing it. Such a lovely thing to make for someone. You are very kind. Xxxx
I think I may have invented one or two new swearie words during the making of this one! ;-D
Thank you for your kind comment. I never think of sewing for other folk as such a big deal.
you did a brilliant job, and everything is worthwhile when it’s so well received
It’s nice when the recipient is so excited, that’s for sure. 😀 Makes it all worth it!
It’s beautiful, what a great job!!
Thank you! 😀
Lord – this is STUNNING! Make me a dress!! And your neighbour is beautiful. Seems like you captured her style perfectly.
Oh come on! Your skills leave mine in.the.dust!
She is beautiful, for sure, and this dress is just what she wanted, so I’m really quietly chuffed.
She looks amazing Evie! What a stunning blue! Great job. I especially like the detail at the waist
The blue is just wonderful. It’s so saturated it almost glows. I’m longing to make myself a party dress in the next weight up, but need to pluck up courage to start again with this fabric before I do.
The waist detail is so lovely and remarkably easy to do as well.
Evie, it’s a fantastic dress! You did a remarkable work on it. And that shade of blue is so…royal…I will keep it in mind. Oh, my that website is so tempting! I am sure it will not be the last dress you sew for her ;o)…and soon I can see one coming for Button! You must feel very proud!
Thank you! The colour is just amazing. I can’t tell you how much I want this for myself. Button is growing up far too fast. 🙁
Oops…forgot to ask one question…how was the sizing? I am working on a Burda top right now and it’s awfully wide!
I graded between two sizes as she’s smaller at the bust than the hips, and I found I had to shave a little off the bust to keep it snug and modest but not a huge amount. I’ve used Burda patterns before and found them usually very good on size, but there’ll always be a rogue one!