Sew Chic 7401 - the Myrtlewood

Have you ever had a project that you Just. Couldn't. Stop.  That happened last night.  All of the pieces were prepared and the dress was ready to be assembled, and I just HAD to do it.  So I did!

I wore it to church today, and got some very positive feedback from those who knew it was in progress.  I'm very happy with the way that it turned out.  Mitch was dubious about it when I started the project, but he really loved it when he saw it on this morning.  It a winner!!

I'm making a funny face, but you can see the dress better in this shot.  Turns out that I really love the bow after all.  I'm so glad that I took y'alls advice and put it on!  It really makes a difference in the look of the dress.  And I don't feel frou-frou in it.  Actually, wearing it was a total pleasure today.  It is comfortable, easy to move in (and jump in Logan's Primary class!) and since I made it in a cozy wool, I was the only person who was warm enough in church today.

Let me tell you about this pattern.  It was designed by Laura Nash at Sew Chic (formerly Nostalgic) Patterns.  You can get your own here, as well as peek at her other wonderful designs.  This pattern is beautifully drafted and the instructions are very complete.  Since diagrams aren't included, I did refer to my trusty Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing to help me out with the sleeve gussets.  I'd never done them before and wanted a pictorial reference.  Laura's instructions were spot on though and I'd have done fine without the diagrams, I think.  The only place I had a little trouble was in assembling the hip sash. It is pleated and then basted onto a stabilizing layer of lining fabric, but I never did figure out what I was supposed to do with the fashion fabric at center front as there didn't seem to be a seam allowance there.  Since the FF is cut on the bias, I just seamed it with the tiniest SA possible and then stretched it to fit the underlayer.  It worked out fine.  I'll write a  more complete review on PR, but that is the gist of it.

I added a full lining with the help of Connie Long's Easy Guide to Sewing Linings.  I initially thought I'd use the quick lining method, but the front facings are cut on, so I ended up doing a traditional sew in lining.  It went in beautifully, and I am feeling pretty good about the skills right now!

Here is the lining.  It is so awesome.  I'm going to be adding a lot more linings from now on!

Whew!  I was really starting to feel like this project was lagging, so I was so happy to really get jazzed about it yesterday.  Tomorrow, on to some tops and a new month - with new goals!  Onward and upward!