Party Dress: Muslin Fitting

Today I put together my muslin (known elsewhere as a toile, which is funny, because each term refers to different types of cheap cotton). There was hardly any stitching besides stay stitching- just the center back seam, where the zipper resides. All the other seams are pin basted for the fitting.
I used a lot of pins, two complete sets. I don't know how many that is; over 100.
Pin fitting Butterick 5761:

Shapeless Sack

Pinned in at the waist

with belt

I have stopped waffling on the belt-over-corset idea, because this looks so cute and 50s!

In other news, I made cookies.

Chiffon Scarf: Left Handed Hand Rolled Hem Photos

hand hemmed chiffon scarf

I went to San Francisco recently to do some wedding shopping with my big sister. I insisted we visit Britex Fabrics. I bought a short length of Italian printed silk chiffon to make a scarf for my mother. Using the Coletterie tutorial, I have hand hemming a shot.

Begin with a machine stitched edge

Fix your work to hold it taut

Trim off the excess

Roll in the machine stitches and make a slip stitch: long

Short slip stitch opposite it

Loose stitching

Pull stitches taut

Rolled edge (wrong side)

Flat edge (right side)

Hand rolled hems in the wild: Hermes silk twill scarf right side

Hermes scarf wrong side

I am pretty pleased with how it came out (for a debut effort). I will share pictures of mum modelling it as soon as possible.

It didn't take too long and I would highly recommend trying it if you are a "scarf person!"

Edited to Add: of course I find this after finishing, but here's a video from Hermes showing a worker doing their hand-rolled hem. A few interesting notes: She pins the work to a fabric-covered weight, She uses paperclips to 'pin' her edge as she does a corner, it shows the corner process. You see her long needle, you see she snaps her thread in her hands which along with it's thickness and drape suggests it is cotton), she's wearing a thimble on her sewing hand (she's right handed). So definitely watch is video and do what she does.

Party Dress: So it Begins

Butterick 5761 view B (knee length dress)

I have dipped my toe in to the party dress project. Today I cut out the B5761 pattern pieces in some cheap, thrifted quilting cottons.One is the garish yellow I used for my first fitting shell, and the other is a flawed brown number. An explosion of hideous - I bet you can't wait for the fitting photos.
Within the next few days I'd like to start stitching the seams. These instructions have you do a test fit with wrong sides together so that's handy, because that's all this "muslin" is for anyway.

Party Dress in Silk Chiffon

My sister is getting married at the end of September. I will be her matron of honor. The bride will be wearing a short, full-skirted 1950s style dress in vivid pink.
I have decided to also go for a full skirted silhouette and have more or less decided to use a Butterick pattern of a plus size princess dress. I would need a petticoat to fill out the skirt. I am also considering adding sleeves.
I purchased a length of silk chiffon in palest yellow, printed with a jaunty collection of roses and fruits. I was able to go to Hi-Fashion Fabrics on a rare trip to Sacramento. I had a good time shopping.
Over the next three months I would like to complete this party outfit. There are many things to do.

• Make petticoat.
• Make muslin of party dress.
• Perfect the fit.
• Begin the lining.
• Begin the chiffon.
• Complete construction.
• Hem, make belt, hairpiece.

I am seriously considering underlining the yellow chiffon with a white chiffon. This adds a significant expense but I have the suspicion that it will significantly "fill out" the floaty chiffon effect.
Under normal circumstances I would solve this dilemma by going shopping and looking at a variety of high end silk clothing. Living in Chico, I have little faith that there will be much to look at. Maybe I should go downtown and to the mall and just look around.