Saturday, September 6, 2008

Vogue 8315 - Black dress with bow, lace and cuff details

AKA: The black dress that never ends

Okay, finally done with this dress!!! It took 3 weeks of sewing! That is a long time for me to spend on one project. It wasn't particularly difficult, just lots and lots of seams and hand sewing. That skirt has 12 pieces and the long sash is sewn on early so there is a ton of fabric to keep up with. Since I added a lining to the top I had to hand sew the underskirt in place. I also had to really think about the sequencing because this is a mock wrap and the top lining had to come together with the underskirt with no exposed seams.

I moved the invisible zipper up as far as I could in hopes of hiding it under the collar. It still shows. Oh well, I'm okay with it. Only the tab shows and I wear my hair down a lot.

Here are the cute french cuffs:

I was VERY weary of this big bow. I don't like bunches of fabric at my waist. My body type is a square and I don't need any more padding in that area. But because the fabric has a bit of stiffness, it holds the bow close to my body and doesn't droop forward. It DOES take me a while of adjusting to get the bow just right. This bow in the picture needs some attention...

Here's the lace peeking out from under my hem. I would prefer a thicker lace here but had a really hard time finding black lace. If I ever find just what I'm looking for it will be replaced.

Here's a picture of the front insides. I put bias tape along the front facings for a smooth finish and around the armhole seams so there are no exposed seams. That small silver dot is a front snap.

Here's the pattern picture. I made view A, the black dress. I guess that's pretty obvious, though.

I am so excited to be through with this and move onto another project.

We had to take these pictures inside since the sun was right in my face. Anyone who's been to my house before might take notice of our new french doors. They need to be painted, but are such an improvement over the sliding glass door that was there before. That was the first thing I wanted to change when we moved in and it only took us 7 years to finally get around to it!

20 comments:

  1. Your dress is beautiful! I really love the sheen from the shantung! The lace detailing really makes it stand out!

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  2. This is an absolute beautiful dress ! On the top picture, your dark hair (often darker on pictures), your profile, your make up give the effect of a mixed Asian and Caucasian model or film actress. I love to see your creations !

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  3. Wow!! Gorgeous!! And the BOW is perfect!! WORTH three weeks' work, eh!! (How many pairs of shoes do ya have?? ;) )
    Rhonda in Montreal (PR)

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  4. Beautiful dress, Amanda. It's very flattering.

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  5. Your dress is stunning. You did such a wondeful job with the fabric, lining and lace details.

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  6. Really beautiful. You did such a great job with all the thoughtful details and it really does flatter your shape. You say you're square shaped but you can't tell in this dress at all.

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  7. I am glad it is over too so we get to see it cause it looks gorgeous on your. I love the lace detail on the bottom. It really makes the dress.

    Great job!

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  8. Hi Amanda,

    Just a short not to tell you that I offered you a price for the quality of your blog. Visit mine for all details. ;-) Anne

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  9. Really really beautiful dress amanda!! I love the lace detailing!

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  10. Your hard work paid off! It looks gorgeous on you!

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  11. Your dress is jaw dropping! Trust me, all the extra time invested on this project was well worth it, the end result is TDF!

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  12. Oh wow... this really is a cutie!, especially with the little lace hem. It really turned out well and is worth all the time you put into it - simply gorgeous!

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  13. Thanks for everyone's kind compliments. Rhoto, I'm pleading the 5th about your shoe question. :)

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  14. Just gorgeous! All of your work was worth it. It'll be a classic piece in your closet.

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  15. You're right about "the dress that never ends!" I love your version! Mine is more casual, in a charcoal twill, but yours looks fantastic!!!

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  16. i just found your blog and have been reading through your posts (backwards) and i just had to comment on this dress. it is the loveliest thing and really looks spectacular on you. your blog is so inspiring! i hope i someday reach your level of skill...

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  17. Love it! I've got this pattern up for swap at the moment so I'm linking this post so people can see what it looks like made up (I never got around to sewing it up) XD.

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