We headed South this past weekend for the Oregon Governor’s Inaugural fesitivities. (Yes, Uncle Ted won, yippee!). This is my favorite picture. We have a TON of posed family shots, I’ll spare you.
I made Leil’s dress for the Inaugural Ball held on Saturday night. Burda pattern 9757. This was a last minute decision after not being able to find a dress at the store. I fell in love with the Asian print silk. If you look at enough pics you’ll see the iridescent quality of the fabric. It was stunning in the light as she twirled around the Ball.
The bodice instructions called for a lining made of the outer fabric. I substituted silk charmeuse. It made for a wonderfully luxurious feel when worn. The sash is made from silk doupioni. It was completed at 1:00 am the night before we left. Right after I let out the back seam on Greg’s suit trousers. Yes, we’re the type of people to try on clothes we haven’t worn in years the night before we leave.
The pattern size goes up to 128 and Leil wears 134. Fortunately, the bodice is the only fitted component of the dress. I taped the pattern pieces to a legal size sheet of paper, drew a size up and then cut out the pattern along the new lines. I used the lines of the smaller multi-sizes as a guide for how big to make the next size up.
I attempted to put the zipper in by sewing machine. Even with a zipper foot, the silk kept sliding and bunching on me. After three attempts I got out a couple of couture books I own and read up on hand sewing a zipper. I love the tailored look. Definitely a technique I’d like to use again. I learned that it was better to use a running stitch vs. a backstitch because the fabric has some ease between the stitches. I sewed the left hand side from the bottom of the zipper to the top. The right hand side was sewn from the top down. This ensured an even look of the zipper tabs at the top of the dress. It was also easier to sew in that direction with the teeth of the zipper at the top of my hands.
Several details I really like about this pattern. The bottom hem has two rows of tucks and then a machine sewn final hem. Easy and fast and so elegant looking.
The skirt back was all one piece. A facing is sewn for the zipper area before the slit is cut and the facing turned. Patterns I’ve sewn before usually just have two pieces for the back and the seam is left open at the top for the zipper. This subtle design detail added a beautiful drape to the dress since is eliminated an extra seam in the back below the zipper end.
More pictures on Flickr of the dress details.
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Thank you for all the wonderful compliments on the advent calendar. I’d love to give you all a great big hug. I was catching up on blog reading the other day and loved this statement by Joanna: “One more thing–thank you for those of you who comment. I honestly don’t know why you do–I’ve been so bad about commenting back lately.” Yes, that’s exactly how I feel! I have so many ‘favorite’ blogs that I enjoy reading it’s overwhelming. And I can’t bring myself to remove one site from bloglines. I do quick reads and plan to come back later and comment when I have more time. Ha. Like there’s ever more time. I have an e-mail queue begging for thoughtful responses. The dates on some of them are downright scary. Not sure what I’m trying to say other than I really do appreciate each and every comment I get. Thank you.
Oh this brings back memories. As a home ec. major at the University of Washington I learned to always do the zipper topstitching by hand for a more professional, coutoire look (I’m sure I’ve forgotten how to spell that correctly!) So many dresses for myself and my daughter with hand sewn zippers. So much easier than doing it by machine! The only zippers I put in by machine were zippers in the fly of pants. You did a beautiful job on the dress.
Darling, darling dress. What nice memories for your family. The inaugural, I mean, not the night before scurrying about! (…which I’m unfortunately quite familiar with.)
I thought I was the only one with the *read quickly and intend to come back to comment* habit. Remedying it was one of my unstated new year’s resolutions, but I’m not doing too well so far.
Though I am commenting now. (Does it count that I left but did come back?)
You’re so right Patti! I kept trying to make the machine work because I thought doing it by hand would be too hard. It ended up being way easier to do it by hand and it was quick work and I think the result looks much more professional. I was laughing to myself how my hand quilting project made my running stitches so nice and small and even. I think my clothes sewing has gotten much better since I started quilting.
How cool that your uncle is a governor! And the dress you made is GEORGEOUS!
Yay Uncle Ted! Leil looks gorgeous. Love the fabric. Next time I’m at an Inaugral ball, I’m gonna sew one too.
don’t spare us the family photos!! I think they are FABO, especially the ones you posted. Your uncle being govenor and getting re-elected is super cool. And besides my fiber obessesions, photography runs a really close 2nd so I like to see photos. The silk you used for the dress is so nice. I am sure the photos do not do it justice but they do show it off nicely.
Beautiful!!
the dress looks great. even before i read your paragraph about the zipper, i was squinting at the picture thinking, “oh good gracious, it looks like she hand sewed that zipper!” i just love little couture details like that, even if it’s something most people will never notice.
The dress is beautiful! And I love the photograph of your daughter + your Uncle Ted on one knee. So sweet.
Beautiful dress for a beautiful little girl.
A very nice fabric. Usually I put the zipper by hand.
(Belém in Portugal)
oh, oh, oooooh! Kathy, you’ve outdone yourself. Your daughter is a vision in that beautiful dress. I think you need a quote like Megan’s that I saw on flickr: “I made the girl AND the dress.” Hee hee.
And with the comments…my problem is that I sneak peeks at blogs when I’m in the middle of doing other things. My computer is in the kitchen, so I’ll be in the middle of cooking dinner while looking at blogs. Yeah, not a lot of quality commenting going on when I have an eye on the stove and the kids. Hmm. Imagine that.
I’m so glad to have come across this, I’m about to start dealing with a zipper and I don’t think there is a zipper foot for miles; I’m glad to see that hand sewing works so well. Congratulations to Uncle Ted on his win, and to you on a gorgeous dress.
Really lovely.
Beautiful. Just Beautiful
The little girl and the dress.
You do good work.
She looks beautiful!
What a beautiful dress, on a beautiful girl. I hadn’t had a chance to comment on the advent calendar yet, but again…beautiful!
That dress is stunning. The color looks gorgeous on her and it is not your typical little girl color so thats nice too. I voted for Uncle Ted and am happy to see him back!!
That’s a beautiful dress! I love the fabric. An all-silk dress for a young girl–how incredibly special and grown-up she must have felt in it!
Such a beautiful dress. I can’t believe the confidence you had in altering a pattern at such a late hour. I guess I’d be comfortable doing that with a purse, but a dress? You made a beautiful dress for the ball. And is she the one who loves Asian stuff? That must have made it even more special.
I’m in awe of your skills! Leil looks divine!
The dress is beautiful, and Leil is, too. I love the photos of her in action.
Congrats to Uncle Ted!
will you make me one? – ha ha ha! i too am in awe of your skills!
the advent calendar, the dresses (adore those tucks) and well, the fabric was devine.
wonderful all around!
I am impressed. (can you make one in a little larger size?)
I love the dress and she looks so beautiful in it–I hope she twirled around the dance floor in perfect glee!
What a beautiful dress, your daughter looks beautiful in it.
I think I missed or forgot your first plug for your Uncle Ted, but if I can say I “know” you, then I know TWO neices of Oregon governors! I have a friend who loves to tell this story about her aunt, Barbara Roberts. She was in Boston, at a bar, and there was a fellow telling loud stories and kept repeating “OR-eee-GONE,” and she quietly corrected him, saying “Actually, it’s “Or(uh)gun.”
“No, no, my son lives there with my grandchildren, it’s OR-eee-GONE.”
“Well, perhaps he does, but it’s pronouced Or(uh)gun.”
“Listen, I am a HARVARD professor, I know of what I speak: it’s OR-eee-GONE.”
“Buddy, I was the Governor. It’s pronounced Or(uh)gun.”
Beautiful dress!
I wrestled with zippers for years. Then, in 2003, my future DIL asked me to make the flower girls’ dresses. Two very long zippers: eeeek!
That was when I learned to make a hand-picked zipper (thank you, Threads Magazine, and thank you, my Dear Husband, for tolerating the size of my archives). The zippers went in easily and the effect was beautiful. Although it was handwork, I don’t think the process was any longer and it was certainly easier on the blood pressure. It’s the only method I’ve used ever since.
That dress is just beautiful, it is something I would have loved to have had when I was a little girl. I think the best part of it is that even though she looks elegant and stunning she still looks like *gasp* a girl and not as though someone has dressed her up too look much older than she is. This has been a theme my husband and I have notcied lately in our circles and our national political magazine even had “Why do we dress our daughters as Skanks?” as their cover story recently and we we happy that we weren’t the only ones who have noticed (we were getting a little worried that we were becoming puritanical)
Of course, I have to say, in the craft blogging circles this never seems to be an issue as crafters know how much more effective a beautiful pintuck or perfect pleat is in making a child/pre-teen look mature and elegant without looking, well, skanky.
What a beautiful daughter and what a darling dress. You’re so skilled! I’m glad you’re Uncle Ted won… DH and I both voted for him!
Absolutely gorgeous dress, so beautifully made. I am in love with the printed silk fabric. Your daughter looks wonderful in it.
Kathy,
I found the issue of Threads that has the zipper instructions: Number 89, July 2000, page 45. It’s actually an article about embellished zippers, and is featured on the cover.
If you don’t have this issue, let me know and I’ll make a copy of it for you.
Kim
Dear Kathy Mack,
I have bought this poattern – the last in the shop, cut out the fabric and then realised that the sewing instructions are not in the pack. I am making a bridesmaid dress for my wedding in 3 weeks and am in a mess. Have you still got the instructions. Could you scan them and let me have a copy please for Burda 9757 please, please to et me out of this mess?
Caron (Yorkshire UK)
All I am able to say is it is, truly great. I would not change a thing.