Sneak Peak: the New Job Dress (BWOF 2008-04-118)

My "New Job Dress" is finished !!!

I plan on having a proper photo shoot of the worn garment over the week-end but for now I thought I'd post a little sneak peak and a closer look at the details.

It didn't actually take me that long at the sewing table, but I just had NO TIME in August to do any sewing. Between 12-hour days at my new job and a crazy busy summer week-end schedule with relatives visiting from France, the pieces of the dress sat sadly on my form for weeks...

But now it's finished and I am SOOOO Happy.
This was definitely the most detailed garment I've made so far, with a lot of construction and other details: one exposed zipper, one invisible, a standing collar and armbands with facing, pocket constructed both of a hip yoke and a welt type opening, pleats in the front.... and lots of "opposite curves" sewing on the bodice part which made me so glad I got to practice on my flowery tunic first and on the muslin.

But here it is and I have to say I am psyched about the result. The fit is really nice and I love the way the fabric feels. It's a 97% Cotton/3% Elasthane and a bit on the heavier side which gives it a nice body and makes the whole thing very smooth looking.

I went with a white invisible zipper because the dress is mostly white.
I'll have to find a way to make the pull-tab black though...

I omitted the decorative topstitching as I used a fabric with a print. Instead I just used the basic "stitch in the ditch" method to attach the inside facings.
I was hesitant at first because the collar and arm bands looked very nice and crisp and I considered hand-stitching all the facings with an invisible stitch. But finally I went with the faster way, and it still looks pretty good (thankfully black is forgiving and you can barely see the few stitches showing where I failed to guide the needle/fabric properly).

On a side note, I was researching on presser feet recently and read about a special "stitch in the ditch" foot that I guess is helpful to guide the fabric and keep the needle in the ditch. Has anyone been using it and do you think it is a useful tool for a neat result, or do you think it's more of a "gadget" accessory that doesn't really work that well anyway? I guess when you're an experienced sewer you don't really need that kind of accessory...

I did my first ever french seam (which by the way in french is actually called an english seam - "couture anglaise" !) on the right side of the dress, and I love how neat it looks.
I bias-binded the pockets seam allowances, also an oportunity to try my hand at mitered corners for the first time, as well as the left side seam which includes the invisible zipper.
The pattern didn't include a waistband facing but I added one for a neater finish on the inside.

I bought some pink double-folded bias tape that matches the pink squares. I could have gone with black since it's the color of the inside facing but I thought this would be more fun...and it doesn't show at all from the outside.

Burda instructions have you press the seam allowance of the collar and armband pieces inside the bodice as opposed to inside the facing. I guess this makes sense if you do the decorative topstitching on the bodice and attach the facing at the same time, but because I omitted those, I pressed all allowances inside the facing as you would normally do (for a clean result anyway).

I'm really happy that I took the time to make this one right and it definitely payed !