The Bombshell Sessions #5 - The Sarong Song

More progress made! To recap, here are the 15 lessons on the Craftsy course are:

1. The course introduction
2. Using the downloadable pattern
3. Cutting the muslin
4. Fitting the muslin
5. Modifications for larger busts
6. Making pattern adjustments
7. Underlining: What, Why and How? 
8. Starting the outer bodice
9. Finishing the outer bodice      
10. Cutting the sarong skirt         This blog!
11. Making the skirt                    This blog!
12. Adding the zipper
13. Adding boning
14. Finishing details
15. Finishing with hem and vent

This is my Mondays work of cutting and making the skirt. I only have white and yellow dressmaking carbon paper... the red and the blue carbon paper that I have found is OK for tracing darts, size being 28x30cm squares, but for tracing pattern pieces- nay. Does anyone know where I can find a large piece (or even better, pieces) of large blue or red or anything DARK carbon paper? Let me know. 

So I forcefully traced the pieces out, you can see my problem with only having a white or yellow dressmaking sheet available in this shot, there is a lot of white and yellow going on on the wrong side of the fashion fabric. So brute force and the '3 S's' were implemented... to moderate success, enough to cut out with 70/30 optimism.

There is the yellow, just there... on the right ear of the giraffe and the left of the butterfly. See what I mean?

I only added a 4cm hem allowance to the dress as I am a 'Cat A short-arse' and doubt that I will even use that. As Gertie suggested, I totally omitted the piece #9, which goes underneath the sarongy bit, as I would like the more fitted, accentuated look. I think I will make my other 'Bombshell' with a Full Circle piece and be proper girlie for wedding number 2 in July. Remember the fabric....

Yummy. But let us go back to 'The Rumble in the Jungle' dress....

As predicted, the sewing of the gathered sarong skirt onto the bodice was predictably a test for me, but I got there in the end. A lovely honesty comes with the videos that Gertie has made- she totally hacks up a seam allowance, but that's OK... unpick and go again. I am a generally a bit more feisty than Gertie, I am a firm believer in the '3 S's' (swearing and screaming and smoking) and then breathe... and return to project. Over the gathered piece is a small pivot that got swallowed up in my first attempt at sewing the bodice to the skirt, I wasn't that foul about it actually, I unpuckered and then make exactly the same mistake again. LIVID. Third time lucky... I nailed it! 

I then graded and then sniped and then ironed the waist seam upwards into the bodice... phew!

As I have gone along, I have pinked my seams, this is going fabulously well with this cotton lawn, the finished seams that Gertie uses for the Shantung is lovely (sewing the smallest of seams on the seams, to neaten) but no required for my fabric, a pink here and there is sufficient.

So here is my dress from the inside:

Here is a look at the beauty, from the lovely outside:

A brief guide to what you can see here... 

Bottom left: Clive's temporary rest spot, until I finish this dress and sewing him a nice 'sewing room' suitable one (i.e. funky, colourful and made by me)

Above rest spot: Artwork made by Sick Bookies (one of my bestest friends since schoolio) and Kitty Finegan (she is amazing too, pop art and beautiful. I won a print from her... lucky me!... I am also making a dress inspired by the colours and the style, watch this space...)

Mannequin: My amazing pressie from my in-laws, yayayayayay! 

Tripod: Set up to take time-lapsed pics of my tomatoes and cucumbers growing on my window-sill.  I know, I know... but I am happy... so that's all that matters. Ahem. Toms and Cucs can be seen on the pics above, massive!

Man pointing a gun at you: No silly, that's another bit of art I picked up. 'Tis Samuel Jackson from 'Pulp Fiction' and behind him is old Johnny T. 

Oh yeah....

Dress: Wahoo! Coming along great, isn't it?! I just love it. It has it's glitches, but all the seams are matched up, the bodice looks great and the sarong is singing!

PS. My landlord gave me a dress, here it is (yes, she rocks)... 

She came to have a look how I am getting on with the 'Bombshell' and quickly realised that I am a tad eccentric with my clothing and promptly brought around this to have as she had bought it off the net and not liked it. Any suggestions on how I can add a bit of couture? It's lovely, but a simple sheering around the waist (which is not tight enough) and a lacklustre halter-neck makes this in a need of renovation, but I LOVE the fabric! It's mighty funky!

Do let me know any thoughts and musings, about this or in general- I am open ears (well, eyes... but you know what I mean)

Bundana

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