first off, i realize i took way too many pictures of myself making the same pose/face in this dress. i’m sorry. i tried to edit them down as much as possible. i also apologize for the crappy lighting – i think i might be the only sewing blogger who’s not married to a photographer? just me & my tripod! and don’t tell me to move away from the coral wall, or i will hit you with the empty paint can 🙂
moving on…
i finished my dress! so happy with the final piece – it is AMAZING! let’s talk shop – i made this using a stretch velveteen fabric. stretch fabric is NOT my choice for this dress, the neckline sits kind of weird & i had to do all kinds of alterations to get it to fit (as it stretched too big, when my woven muslin was a perfect fit). i didn’t realize the fabric was stretch until i received it in the mail… my bad for not reading the description more closely, oh well. i added piping to the neckline & waistline, and interfaced the facing with god ol’ cotton muslin. instead of using an invisible zipper (i was afraid it would bubble under that stretch fabric), i handpicked a lapped zipper, stabilized with a strip of silk organza.
as far as the actual fit of the pattern, me likey! it did require a little tweaking – MAKE A MUSLIN – i had to move my vertical darts over and my horizontal darts up, but the overall fit is good! and it doesn’t use a whole lot of fabric. win win! i cut a size 4 and added a 1/2″ FBA… i think this made the shoulders fit better than if i had cute a size 4.
using the pockets
omg pockets!
back
the bunching on the cummerbund is due to there being no stabilization at the buttonhole (i used polyester taffeta for my cummerbund, fyi). next time, i will put some interfacing there.
want to see the dress without the cummerbund? you got it!
(no idea what my face is doing here)
ooh i love piping.
per usual, i finished the edge of my facing with rayon seam binding. i actually found this in my stash – the color is called “toast,” but i think it looks more like “baby shit.” anyway, it matches my dress (should i be unhappy about this?). oh, the red lines are from my markings. they won’t wash off this fabric, awesome.
more baby shit at the hem!
taffeta cummerbund. i love that this pattern only uses one button – awesome if you’re a button hoarder like me and have jars and jars of awesome buttons and only one of each.
so yep! that’s my peony! i really love this dress, the pockets, the fit – everything! so much that i’ve already cut out my pieces for peony #2… and i know y’all want a little sneaky peeky, so here you go 🙂
😉
LLADYBIRD 
It’s perfect!
I want to order that pattern, but I’m still working on the Rooibos 😦
beautiful, I love the cummerbund too. I can’t wait for #2, I love plaid.
I have a husband, but he’s not the photographer type. 😦 I don’t even have a tripod! But, photography aside, your dress is very pretty. 🙂 And I LOL’d at your “baby-shit” binding, we used to have carpet in a similar color in the old house we lived in, and that’s pretty much the color we thought it was too. 😉
Wow! Looks fab! I don’t know if I could pull off a big floral print like this, but I sure think you can! Great job!
haha i don’t know if i can pull it off either 😛 my boyfriend saw it and said, “well, that’s… bright.” lol, i’m gonna wear it anyway 🙂
I. Love. This. Dress. Everything about it in fact, it’s just perfect. Love your ‘pockets’ face too! Great job Lauren. x
Love it!!! It’s perfect!
ahhhhhhhh! This is my FAVOURITE! Love it so much! The fabric is perfect for the style of the dress…love the piping, love the pockets, love the sash!!! You rock!!
This is such a feminine dress…love the fit and the print and the cumber band so much! I’m dying to use piping on a project soon, I’ve never tried before, but it looks so good. Oh and Peony #2 is already looking like a winner!!!
Another gorgeous Colette Patterns dress – nice work! I so love this pattern, it’s definitely next on my list.
This pattern is sitting in my to-do pile with a hot pink stretch poplin, but i do love your floral Peony… decisions, decisions….
I have been unsure if the cost of this pattern was worth it for what seems like a pretty basic dress. But I love yours and the next one you are working on. Perfect fall/winter dress with the sleeves, and I really love the cummerbund…good point about the single button.
oh, i definitely think it’s worth it – and i’m notoriously from the camp of “sewing patterns should cost $1 like they do at joann’s.” the drafting on this dress is really superb – it fits so nicely, and it’s so easy to put together. and it’s pretty versatile – i think it will lend itself well to other styles, such as sleeveless, or with a fuller skirt.
Soooo pretty! I love the boat neck and piping. I love the colors and pattern. Excellent job!
So cute! I dig the floral, but am absolutely dying to see how the second one turns out. Pssh though, the Hubster has a super nice camara, but does he want to take pictures for my blog. Nope! That would take time away from the Xbox (or his mistress, as I like to call it) Boys and their toys… I probably should just invest in a tripod. 🙂 You totally rock that big ass print, too! The brighter the better!
Ugh, “camera” I swearz I knowz how to spellz! 🙂
Too utterly cute for words! I adore the fabric, and now think I should look at this pattern with new eyes. Love that it’s long sleeved too.
IT’S SO CUTE! YOU’RE SO CUTE! LAUREN!
I’m with you sister. I almost want to get married just to have someone to take my photos! But the dress is fab!
Looks great and love the piping! I can’t wait to see the plaid version, though…
Ah I love it – the piping is just so cute with the floral and I can’t WAIT to see the next one – am already in love with the fabric! Hooray for peony! I like your binding finish on the facings and hem – may have to copy you there 🙂
Very, very cute dress. I love the print!!!!
This is cute as hell. I love the cumberbund! I love that Colette Patterns is making us all embrace the cumberbund! This is awesome, it’s such a cute dress and an excellent fit. As someone with some bosom, I was concerned about this puppy because of the neckline, but damn if you don’t make this work. Maybe I should try it….bad Leah! Make the patterns you have!
Wow. Just wow. I’m a sucker for floral so I am beyond loving it. And the second one looks like it’s going to be freaking fab too.
I looove this!! I’m still working on my muslin and trying to perfect the dart placement (ugghhhh), but I think I’m almost done. I am SO in love with the plaid version! I was wanting to make a plaid version as well, but I can never seem to find a good plaid.
honestly, i just cut my darts straight out of the pattern (well, my traced pattern, i mean) and taped them into the correct position. it was a lot easier than trying to redraw those things! on the bright side, once you perfect the fit, you’ll never have to mess with it again!
good plaids are hard to find these days. it’s like the fabric world gave up on them or something 😦
Oh wow! That dress is something special. I can’t wait to see your tartan/plaid version completed. Thanks for the sneaky peak, I’ll be waiting anxiously to see it finished.