Dress with Open Shoulders Lekala #4515 for Lidia

Finally blogging this lovely dress.

On our Victorian holiday, a few years ago, Liddy choose some yellow embroidered organza.

It was quite expensive for Eliza Fabrics, $16/m from memory, and I really didn't care for it at all!

However, Tilly had chosen her pink lace (which I didn't like either) so, to be fair, we purchased two metres.

We both agreed on the dress Lekala #4515 but as Liddy is growing so fast we needed to wait until an occasion to sew it.
(And then I could marinate it in deep stash if she went off it)
Fast forward 18 months and my sister offered to take the girls to the ballet so it was time to sew it up.

Images from Pinterest.

As always, we checked out Pinterest for ideas.
We quickly decided that a nude lining was much more elegant that a yellow.
I didn't have quite enough of the nude satin to line the skirt so I used some zingy, yellow stretch satin I had purchased from the remnant bin at Eliza's.

Sewed up in a light weight neoprene or something heavy-ish, with drape, it would look amazing and be quite a straight forward sew.
Although the side zip gives a flawless back finish I will definitely use a back opening the next time I sew this dress. Lidia has to squeeze into it as it is so firm across the bust.

We finished the sleeves with the cuff BUT I  think you could leave those off.

pattern here

And finish them like this.

It wasn't a difficult sew, just time consuming.
I cut the dress from the nude satin and then used those pieces to cut the organza (taking care to match the lace placement). I then pinned and overlocked those pieces together and then treated them as one.
(So I sewed the darts in the two as one pieces)
This eliminates any show through seams.
I then cut the lining from the satin.
I out the two dresses, wrong sides together and then gathered the sleeves and added the cuffs.

The bodice top is finished with a casing and elastic is threaded through.

I machine stitched this casing but Lidia didn't need the full elastic and I wasn't happy with the visible stitching so I unpicked it, hand sewed it and added a small elastic channel, at the centre back, for ease.

The invisible zip went in the side seam, up to the under arm. I actually lifted the zip as high as I could and it was still only just enough ease to get on.

The pop of yellow skirt lining was a happy accident. I hope, when she sits down, it peeks out.

It is so rewarding when you sew something you start off not so keen on and then fall in love with.

~My Verdict~

This was a great pattern that I think I over complicated with my fabric choice.
Liddy won't wear this again (she squeezed into for some photos but couldn't move her arms)
The pattern fitted together beautifully and sewed up very well.
I will definitely sew it again but use a much longer zipper and NOT an invisible zipper.
The first zipper broke when Liddy was trying it on and i had to unpick all the hand sewn lining and replace it (the zipper)
Then, on the night of the ballet the replacement zipper broke so my sister sewed her into the dress.
I have since replaced it with a regular zipper.

~Lidia's Verdict~
This dress is just gorgeous! The fabric was not nearly as beautiful on the roll as it looks sewn into the dress pattern. Mum lined all the lace up perfectly at every the seam. 

The only thing I would change is instead of putting in a side zip, maybe a back zip because it is rather tight getting on. It is beautiful and I cannot wait to wear it to the ballet.

As the evening could be cool, I sewed a cape  to wear over it.

The girls had a marvellous evening at the ballet and both felt like princesses.
I can thoroughly embrace the 'experience' gift.

Thank you for reading.... xx Nicole 

Special thanks to Matilda for the photos.