SWAP piece number 8 ...

It's a long weekend again here in Hobart. It seems there are three extra public holidays here than I got in NSW, so I'm not complaining. I had planned to do a whole lot more sewing than I actually did, but the weather was incredible and Molly and I spent a lot of time out walking. Funny thing about Tasmanian sun; it's so much easier to get burned here. I'm told it's because of the ozone layer.

I did manage one completed garment. It's BWOF 05-08-116. I had originally planned to make this in the pinstripe that I used for the pants I made last week, but I changed my mind and used plain black. This is black stretch wool that came from the Vera Wang fabric sold on Fabric.com a few years ago. I bought three yards that I've already made a pair of shorts and a skirt out of (for my red, black and white travel wardrobe that I took to the US in 2010). This was the very last of it. The purple topstitch thread was leftover from the purple jacket and skirt I've already made for SWAP.

I had a few issues with this dress. Despite interfacing the front, it stretched. To fix it I stitched a thread on one side, threaded it through the fold and pulled the neckline in, then stitched it down on the other side. Next, I layed it over my pressing ham and steamed - it shrank back perfectly. I also managed to sew the facings in upside down, but didn't realise until AFTER I understitched and trimmed the seams. The original pattern is not lined, but as this wool is very fine, I wanted to line it. Because of the topstitching I couldn't follow my usual construction method for a lined dress, so I bamboozled myself a little and took a whole lot longer than I should have. I trialled several kinds of topstitching but ended up with regular thread and regular stitch to keep it a little subtle. I tried topstitch thread and triple stitch, but they all looked a little cartoonish to me.

If you follow the link and look at the Burda picture, you'll see this has a self-fabric belt above the waist. I went as far as making thread loops and stitching them in place, but the belt just doesn't work on me, so I took them off and will wear it as is. I like this dress but I don't love it. It's a little large in the shoulders - I should have graded down to a 36, but it's still flattering. It will be a great work dress. I tried it with the SWAP jacket and I like the way it looks. I may even wear it tomorrow because I have a meeting with the Antarctic Division and I like to look professional when I go there!

I had planned wide leg pants this weekend, but when I layed the fabric up I decided it wasn't heavy enough. I went to the back up plan and that fabric was completely wrong, so that project ground to a halt. I'll shop my stash tomorrow and see what else I have, but I think this means a trip to Spotlight, which I really don't want. Last time I went there I might have bought some purple faux fur, but that's a whole other story ...