DVF Lace Part II

16 Apr DVF Lace Part II

What a difference a top makes!

Some people are born to sew couture. It relaxes them they say……

I get that, but before undertaking a couture garment, I always take a deep breath and try to prepare myself for the time commitment couture sewing requires. To date, I have underestimated the time commitment of every project.

But now it’s time to celebrate!

As mentioned in the previous DVF skirt post,  I ordered the lilac cotton lace from Mood Fabrics last Spring, envisioning a two-piece dress for my daughter’s Bridesmaids’ luncheon on August 22, 2014.  I even took the fabric to Susan Khalje’s class in Baltimore last April with the vintage McCalls pattern, but I could not pass up the opportunity to sew with Valentino satin face chiffon under Susan’s guidance.

All was not lost or wasted – just delayed 365 days 😉

Frankly, I wouldn’t have known how to go about sewing the top (or skirt) were it not for investing in two previous Susan Khalje classes. I needed both  for Susan’s instruction and the inspiration provided by my classmates.

Just like the skirt  blogged here, the top consists of four layers of fabric which include the heavy cotton lace, oxford cloth, silk organza and Bemberg rayon lining.  Some readers questioned the weight of oxford cloth as an underlining. It worked out great for the skirt, but I sought the advice from friends with lots of couture sewing experience before proceeding with the vintage McCall’s 8500 pattern.

Vintage patterns are an excellent for couture projects since the patterns have marked seam lines; the main ingredient in couture sewing. To no surprise I made several alterations marked in blue on the muslin

I considered sewing a princess seam pattern because I feared the pattern’s eight darts would be bulky with the layering. Splitting the two bust darts and catch-stitching the waist and back darts to the organza easily solved the problem.

In the photo below you can see:

• the long vertical dart catch-stitched to the organza
• the stitches used to secure the lace to the oxford cloth before the organza is applied
• a pink vertical basting stitch to ensure no slipping
• lastly, the edge of the organza and the oxford cloth and zigzagged together since the scallop edge of the lace serves as the hem

Eliminating the two top back darts and replacing them with dead darts  made for a smoother back.

The three horizontal lines in  photo below illustrates the three alterations I made to remove excess bulk.

The zipper is concealed in the side seam. The pattern provides a facing for the neck and arms, but I sewed a full lining. The DVF lace is no longer available at Mood, but I believe a heavy lace such as this guipure lace would sew similarly.

So there you have it….. eight months too late for the Bridesmaids’ luncheon but just in time for a new wedding season 🙂

Until Soon 🙂