Mother of the Bride dress: Take 2!

So here we go! I have been working on the dress a little here and there during the week in the evenings. I am lucky that right now I am not traveling for work (at least this week!) so I am making good use of the evenings to sew! I want to get as much done as possible in the hopes that I will be on a new project soon and will have to travel.

The main portion of the work that I have done is on the bodice of the dress. It is very fitted and a rather challenging pattern with the neckline and the draping. Luckily I have made up a muslin of this so that I was familiar with the instructions as well as and shortcuts that I may have found.

One of the decisions that I needed to make was how to finish the seams. Since I am underlining the dress, and not simply lining it, I needed a way to cleanly finish the seams. The silk ravels quite a bit and I really wanted a nice, clean finish on the inside. Not only does it make the wearer of the garment feel good, it does extend the life of the garment.

So I decided on a Hong Kong finish on the seams. This is basically when you enclose the seam allowance in bias binding on either side, so that it completely finishes off the seam. It gives a rather nice look and doesn't add bulk to the seams. Vogue Sewing details it out below:

Hong Kong finish

How the finished seams look

I added the finish to the darts as well

The back seam of the skirt, with the Hong Kong finish

 I found that the extra time taken to use this finish really pays off. You have a garment that is as beautiful outside as it is inside! And no extra "threads" hanging around!.

The finished bodice is shown below. I have added all the draping and finished the seams and darts inside. It is hard to tell from the dress form, but it looks lovely on the body! The draping on the lower bodice will extend into a draped panel from the waist of the skirt and will fall down to the hemline. Because my dress form is so much smaller than the "real me" is now, it really is hard to judge the outcome. But the lovely silk fabric has worked up so nice and I am excited to get moving along!

The final bodice, with the draping attached

 Stay tuned for further dress making adventures! Only 8 weeks to the wedding and I still have to finish this dress, work on a gray casual skirt I am making for the trip, find gloves and shoes for the wedding. And then decided on either purchasing a hat or making one. Arghhh!!!