THEE Dress

And I did not mis-spell "THEE". This dress which should have taken me perhaps three and a half hours to make, ended up taking over six hours. It began on Monday. I cut the dress from sample fabrics sent to us from Logantex who often send us fabrics as I make them all of their model garments. Logantex is a pretty large fabric provider in the garment business. For the past couple of years or so, when they have a show, I make their exhibit pieces. It's an honor. I love it. I don't get a personal recognition. I just get to brag a little to family and friends.

So I am given a cream crepe and a black crepe. There is a bit of spandex, mostly Polyester and Rayon. It's a nice fabric and is easy to wear for any figure. We have been carrying it for quite some time. I cut the dress and begin the stitching. I begin the back and get the zipper in first. Zippers always go in first. It's just how I make a dress.


Then I put the front of the dress together and go to press it and there it is. The beginning. Right down the front is fold dirt from the fabric having sat around for a long time gathering dirt and dust. So the work stops and I bring the piece home to wash by hand. The label on the bolts on the floor of the store state that the "Crepe Couture", which is the name of the fabric, can be dry cleaned or hand washed.

I used a little Woolite in tepid water. Dried it over night and brought it in today to continue working on the dress. Well, as you can see from the first picture above, The fabric to the left is terribly grey. It appears that the black bleeds onto the cream, turning it quite ugly. So I unstitched the three pieces, re-cut the center, and made a new front. OK.


Then the shoulder pieces go on, and the facings are made and stitched in. I am careful to stitch the facings in a manner that, when the dress is turned, I will have no facings showing on the outside. Nice and smooth. Right? No.

In order to turn the dress through the shoulder facings, the back pieces have to be free. And remember? I already installed the zipper. Merde!!! merde!!! merde!!! So I had to remove the zipper and back seam, press it all, pull it all through, and re-install the zipper and seam. OK. I loathe undoing seams. I am very careful when I am stitching to avoid this. Now I have just about undone every seam I have put in so far. And it doesn't end here!

Alright, it is ready for the side seams and hem. I stitch the first side seam only to realize I have stitched the two front seams together!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~ Is there no end to this?

The dress is done. It looks good. I don't ever want to see it again. As soon as it was done, I turned in the paperwork noting that it should be dry cleaned and why, and that it should be highlighted when the description card is attached to the mannequin on display.

Then I returned to my sewing room and immediately began working on a vintage doll. Yes. There is balance. " For some moments in life, there are no words."