I really wanted to have this dress done today. That was my plan. But we went for breakfast at my dads’, then washed the car, then had a quick visit with friends passing through town, then I had to clean the kitchen before I could cut on the floor (so much for #sewdontclean) and, having just picked out ANOTHER seam, I think it’s time to call bedtime. I can do the rest tomorrow, if I have to.
In case you’re confused, this will be the maid of honour’s dress for Epona’s wedding—AKA Stylish’s dress. The pattern is Butterick 3441, the same base as we’re using for the wedding dress, but with considerably fewer modifications—really just adding a chiffon overlay to the skirt.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m a bit of a wuss when it comes to fabric selection. I like cottons. Denim. Wool. Fabrics that are satisfying, fun, and easy to work with. Satin is always out of my comfort zone, although I think it’s a sign of some kind of improvement that it’s not totally making me want to throw my machine out the window.
The chiffon, on the other hand….
argh. And yes, I know there are eight million things I could be doing (like starching the crap out of it, or dipping it in gelatin) to make it easier to deal with and I just can’t be bothered, which is, of course, counterproductive. Anyway. I don’t even want to go into how much chiffon-hem-sampling I’ve done today. I should probably do it on the serger, but I don’t have any matching serger thread. I’ll keep it in mind if I decide I really can’t stand my regular baby hems, though. They’re pretty bad. If I do end up using this beaded trim to cover them, I won’t care, but if it’s too heavy (it is too heavy, but I think I might like that, plus it’s SO luxe) they’re really not adequate at this particular moment if there’s any chance someone might actually see them. Argh.
The piping, at least, went in well, with much less puckering than in the wedding-dress trial.
And I’m quite happy with how my little loop for the back-of-neck button turned out. I’m really liking making skinny bias tubes in satin. They turn so nicely.
This is what Tyo was doing when I finally threw in the towel. At 10:00 pm she was frustrated that we wouldn’t let her go out and ride her bike, so she went out in the back yard to “do something productive,” aka paint.
Have I mentioned I love summer?
Tanit-Isis Sews 
Looking forward to seeing the finished dress! That trim is just gorgeous – I’m a sucker for sparkles at the moment.
Ohhh! This is looking most epic! And chiffon and satin are the fabrics of all that is wrong in the world, I swear!
Sounds like it was a good time to stop. The dress looks like it will be gorgeous!! Hopefully you’ll get it knocked out today!
I got sucked into 4 bridesmaid skirts this summer….satin and chiffon…you are kinder than I – I’m doing rolled hems on my serger for the chiffon. So far I’m on skirt 2…and it’s not bad. Not great! Luckily it’s cream, so I was able to get serger thread to match.
Good luck!
Things always seem worse and are more frustrating when you’re tired. You stopped at a good time. Remember to step back from your up-close looking – no one will see the details as magnified as you are seeing them while you are building. Hang the dress (or drape over a chair) and back away to view it more objectively. They will be great! =)
The serger won’t go into convulsions if you use regular thread…Wind up a few bobbins of your matching thread, be sure to top them with spool caps, and have at it.
Satin and chiffon are horrible to work with, I think they are for all of us. I also avoid them when possible and if I have to hem chiffon, I always us the rolled hem option on the serger (not all sergers have this option but fortunately, mine does). I agree with DreinPA about the thread.
I would recommend doing some practise bits on the serger as well. Two weeks ago, hemming chiffon nearly brought me to tears because, all along a long hem, the stitches gathered themselves slightly on the lower looper thread. I had to pull about a third of the stitches out and only then found out I could have avoided all that misery by simply reducing the lower looper tension (which, on my serger, has to be pretty high for rolled hems, usually 8) by 1 point…
Best of luck with your epic project.
Oh wow you are a better woman than me!
Yes, some projects are much harder than most. Ah, but the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction if the job turns out well. Never give up, never surrender.
The thought of ever facing the kind of trauma you’re facing now is terrifying. Long may the absence of satin and chiffon dresses in my queue continue. Summer in the less equatorial regions is fantastic isn’t it? I doubt we’re as far south as you are north but I do love the 10pm sunsets we get.