It's that time of the year.... Formal Sewing.
I love this sort of sewing. It is completely unpractical and you often spend longer sewing the garment than they spend wearing it but I love it, all the same.
This years theme was such fun!Lidia wanted to look like a fairy.
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| Image from Pinterest. |
After discussion, we decided to make the top and skirt separately (so pieces could be used again).For the corset top, Lidia chose OOP McCall's 3636, view A. This pattern was extremely good and I recommend searching for it online (it's OOP) if you want to sew something similar. Lidia chose a pretty piece of Duchess satin (thicker and more lustre than regular satin) remnant from my beloved Elizas Fabrics, and I had enough to self line. To start with, I sewed and altered the lining to fit Lidia. I drafted the size 10 per her measurements and it wasn't a bad fit, it just needed some shoulder height removed and the side seams taken in a bit. I didn't remove this excess as I figured it would allow for a slight adjustment for a future wearer.
Once I had the fitting sorted I attached the boning. I did shorten mine sightly as I was concerned it would poke into Lidia's stomach. I had a boned top that was very uncomfortable when seated and the formal has three course meal. Lidia wanted some extra padding around the bust so I used some bust inserts from an old sports crop top and trimmed them to the right shape. Once I had the position correct I hand sewed them in place. The outer layer is equally labour intensive. The pieces are interfaced and then a cotton under-lining is cut and each piece is basted together before constructing.
I fitted this again and was very glad I did as it would have been too small if I used the lining. I assume the cotton under-lining made it more rigid.
An open ended zipper is used to close the bustier. I did debate hand-sewing the zip but has it require a fair tug to do up I didn't want to risk it splitting.
The instructions for final construction are excellent. The outer and lining are sewn in increments and the the shoulder straps are put together via the bagged lining. There is very little hand sewing and the garment feels extremely sturdy. The overskirt is made from a costume pattern, Butterick 6338 in green stretch satin that we purchased from a fabric sale at Lincraft in Mt Gambier. I have not been to Lincraft in years but I was trying to source black denim and Spotlight had nothing suitable in stock. I popped into Lincraft on the off chance and they has a huge sale (50% off all prices) and I snagged some bargains!
The skirt has some serious pleating and gathering (like fabric origami) The skirt pieces (and some tulle, not visible) are attached to a waist band. It is definitely an overskirt (you couldn't wear it alone). I think it will be a very handy addition to the dress up box. Lidia is planning on being Marie Antionette for Book Week, next year, and I have 10 metres of blue satin that would make a perfect full skirt! Operation 'Fairy' successfully achieved.
Lidia looked like a dream and she had a wonderful time. I really appreciate the online colleges making a effort to plan events such as the formal, as it give the country students a change to mingle.
Thank you for reading... xx Nicole
