Sew For Victory 2.0 - Hollywood No.1977

Hello! 

Well, here it is my Sew For Victory 2.0 entry, in all its purple and black sequinned glory!

I am so pleased with this dress (someone tell my face) as it fits perfectly, and it's probably the most comfortable thing I have made to date. It has, though been a real labour of love and at points, I did think I was never going to finish it, I mean who makes the decision to hand top stitch everything when the clock is ticking, oh, and then add a sequin trim last minute?! Well, I do, and apart from the self-induced stress I created, I am so, so glad I did, as it's the most well-made dress I've ever attempted!

I was not all plain sailing, however; after taking my photos in the lovely churchyard last week I realised that there was an issue with the dress which I hadn't noticed before, or perhaps I'd just chosen to ignore while fitting.

The problem was in the bust area, (see the above picture) there is just a bit too much drapey fabric, which makes things in that area look a tad...saggy! It's not terrible, but once I noticed it blown up all big and droopy on my PC screen, I couldn't, not see it, and it was really bugging me. Thankfully by some miracle, lovely Rochelle had decided extended the deadline by a few extra days, so I was able to adjust the four front pleats a smidgen, taking them up about an inch and tapering them out a little to remove a little more of the excess fabric and banish the sagginess. Hurrah!

Something I learnt: cutting crepe on the grain is difficult. Very difficult. At times it felt like the fabric was a living breathing (constantly moving) entity, I did my best and though I am sure there are sections where the grain is not running true, it's not glaringly obvious. Sewing it was actually really easy, the fabric didn't fray too badly, so I was able to readjust (and by that I mean: Unpick my seams) with very little damage to the fabric, which was nice! 

The sheerness of the fabric meant that I had to line the whole dress, to avoid my unmentionables being mentioned. I chose to do this by essentially by making two dresses from the crepe which sit inside each other wrong sides facing, I figured it would be better to do this to help maintain the lovely drape that the crepe has, rather than adding a nylon type lining which would be stiffer and not so fluid.

Lining has also has meant that I was able to add some buttons loops to close the back opening rather than the zip the pattern called for, I'd feared the zip might give me puckering issues due to the delicate nature of my fabric so this option was much simpler.

I did attempt some Sewing Bee inspired rouleau loops but without a loop turner it was a lost cause, instead, I settled for some handmade bias strips which worked out really well! Lining has also meant that I could get away without finishing the raw edges of the seams which I feared it would add bulk in areas that it would be visible. To match the black buttons I had chosen to run down the back, I decided to add some sequin trim which I think works really well, and as 40s dresses seldom shied away from some sparkly embellishment I thought it would add an extra touch.

I am not sure if I have said it before, but I LOVE peplums!

I mean, I really love them! I always thought that adding ruffles at the waist would make me feel fatter but it actually helps make your waist look smaller, hides the cake eaters tummy and adds more curves, and we all know curves are good!  I especially love the peplum on this dress as it can be removed and added to any outfit! How cool is that!! I want peplums on everything from now on!



So that was and is my SFV 2.0 effort! I am so pleased I got to take part again and truly think my stitching skills have improved since last years dress, I actually can't wait to do it all again!

If you liked my dress then, there are so, so many stunning garments (no exaggeration) over on the Flikr group that I urge you to check it out, gosh they are a talented bunch!

Wendy x