Beginnings of the Plaid Silk Dress

I've begun working on my first silk dress! I decided after working with the silk yesterday (while watching Gone with the Wind I might add), that I am so spoiled by the fabric I may never sew anything else again :). My inspiration is the dress above. The sleeves on this one may be a bit tricky and I'll have to draft them myself, but I'm excited for the challenge.



This is my progress on the bodice so far, I'm rather petite in real life, and I can't get my dress mannequin to go small enough to properly display the bodice, but it fits beautifully. It did take me a couple of hours of planning and frustration (made all better by a snack of chocolate peppermint bark), but I managed to "mirror image" the plaid on the bodice fronts, just like the original dress.

One of the many tips I learned at our conference last Spring put on by Carolann Schmitt of The Genteel Arts Academy, is how to do a faux 3-piece back. This back is actually a one-piece, but with tiny tucks that appear almost like piping. I need to finish up the bodice boning and piping, and I'll be ready to tackle the sleeves!

I am encouraged by how fast this went together now that I have a base pattern toile. Once I get a good basic sleeve draft, I should be ready to produce several dresses which will be very much used this busy season. I should be updating the project list soon with a slate of new lovely things for the New Year. Merry Christmas to all!