Challenge 12:: Blomma dress:: finished

I have no idea why it took so long to get this one done! And it is a relatively easy project. Well, maybe because I had two other projects floating in my head. The ones that fall under the "must try right away" category.

And then yesterday I had to go downtown (the LA Garment District). Yes, I did say "had" to because I needed some white fleece for a design wall I (my dear Mr.) will be making this weekend. The movable design wall will not only be useful for my quilts, but I plan to use it when I cut fabrics like chiffon or silk, those that just move too much to be cut on a slippery surface - like my hardwood floors where I do all my other cutting, quilt basting and such. Of course I bought other fabrics too (:-)

OK, back to the dress. In the previous post I mentioned that the only change to the pattern I would make is to make the top flounce (yes, that's the word, not "ruffle"; thank you katherine h) a little narrower on one side so that you can actually see the flounce below. Well, it turns out I did not have to make any changes, because I sewed the flounces on the muslin wrong - the top one under the bottom one. This is what they were meant to look like.

Just as a reminder, this is the picture that was the inspiration for the dress (Abaete top), and next to it is the pattern I used. For those of you who might have stopped by here the first time, this pattern (free download) is my basic basic block for an easy fitting top, which I used to make Ulla, Editt and Marina tops in previous challenges.

For the dress I used a cotton I bought long ago downtown LA. I remember that the roll said it was cotton but the guy was telling me that it had to have some silk in it. I thought he was just trying to sell it (shopping downtown is an experience), but it did feel very silky. It is very light (would that be lawn?) and thin and I wish I had more of it. When I first ironed it, it started sticking. So it is probably not 100% cotton, but it did not iron like poly. So could it have some silk in it? Don't know much about silk, and except for one abandoned project, have never worked with it.

(It was windy today when I took the pictures)

Instead of hemming the flounces, I serged them. I thought a hem would just make them bulky on the edge and I did not want it. I finished the neck, arm and back with bias tape made of the same fabric (I really like doing that). The neck is done with one piece, and then the straps, under arm and the back are another piece. I like doing straps like that too..

In the back - because of the ease and the fact that it's a pull-over dress, I put some elastic under the bias tape, to keep it next to the body. 

I really like how it turned out, and I think it would be a nice dress/tunic even without the flounces. Just a little slip. I might make another one...

Some techniques you might find useful:

Facing or Detail: Bias Binding

Previous Challenge 12 posts:
Challenge 12:: Blomma dress:: intro and drafting

Challenge 12:: Blomma dress:: muslin