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Wednesday 27 October 2010

The Cocktail Dress - Finally...

I finally finished hemming the lining on my dress yesterday, never my favourite part of making anything hence the tardiness.

I hope I'm not going to disappoint you, but after all that build up I decided, much like Peter over at MPB, to leave this garment bling free. I feel it already has enough blinginess about it especially with my accessories.

Besides, I want everyone to notice my shoes which I will probably only be able to wear for approximately two hours before my feet drop off!



Construction wise I did a lot of hand sewing on this dress. I finished the armholes with strips of bias fabric which were understitched, turned and slipstitched to the interlining, and I did the same thing with the neckline except with straight grain fabric strips to act as a stay and keep the neckline from stretching out (thanks to Nancy for reminding me about that). The lining was then assembled by machine and handstitched to the facing strips so there is no chance of it showing on the outside. I also added a deep facing to the dress hem.

I'm now in a bit of a flap about what else I am going to wear while I am in the UK and need to dig out my winter clothes and see what gaps need to be filled. I know the Brits won't agree with me that it is officially winter over there yet, but it's all relative!

50 comments:

  1. Its beautiful Alison, a perfect special occasion dress! Love the colour and style. Hope you have a wonderful time in the UK.

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  2. Your dress is really beautiful! I love the colour and style.

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  3. Beautiful dress and I love how you styled it. You look lovely!

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  4. Beautiful, love how the underlining makes the finishing invisible. Very flattering shape, too.

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  5. so pretty!! great job - have fun at your event. :)

    PS great shoes!

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  6. That is a stunning dress, AND shoes! Sometimes, beauty lies in simplicity. The lines of this dress and the color speak for itself.

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  7. Absolutely stunning! Hope you have a wonderful time at your do.

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  8. Beautiful!! The dress is just perfect, as are the shoes.

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  9. Magnificent work. It looks FANTASTIC!!!! The color is wonderful.

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  10. Wow! The color and fit make your dress gorgeous!

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  11. Very pretty! I love the color and the style. The shoes are great, I wish I could wear heels that high.

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  12. You look so great in that dress! The necklace is perfect and THOSE shoes are to die for!

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  13. I am a non bling person so I think it's gorgeous. Perfect accessories and the fit and color is just perfect. Brava!

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  14. Very beautiful, the color suits you really well, and the accessories.....aaahhh....

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  15. Firstly, a British weather report - the last few days have been very cold but today is a bit warmer and, right now, the sun is shining. This coming weekend the clocks change and it is the official start of the British winter - prepare for cold and rain!
    Your dress - it's FAB. The colour is absolutely gorgeous, the style is stunning. I love how you have accessorized it.

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  16. Stunning!!! I love everything about this: the fit, the fabric, the design, the accessories, and especially the SHOES!!! Job well done!!!

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  17. The color is amazing. I would marry you all over again :)

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  18. You are so much braver than me planning to wear those shoes! The dress is awesome, the color you chose is absolutely gorgeous!

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  19. This is a very beautiful dress, both inside and out. I love the fit and bright color and the SHOES! They are divine. You will be the beauty at the party, that's for sure.

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  20. Oh that is fabulous, I'm going to reread all the posts about doing it. Did you use a pleater or somethign?

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  21. Absolutely astonishing! Every detail is beautiful and you look great from head to toe!

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  22. This is so beautiful. The color is just fabulous! Are those heels 5 inches?! Crazy!

    Safe travels, and enjoy your trip back home!

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  23. You look beautiful! Love the color. Thanks for all the details on construction. I always learn something new!

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  24. The colour is fabulous and the this "jewel" of a dress will make a "great entrance." Good to make the shoes more neutral, as with that beautiful necklace, this is wow, wow, wow! I'm very impressed with your perfect under-stitching and hand-finishing of the bias strips. Congratulations and have a great visit to the UK!
    Xx

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  25. Absolutely fabuous color, fit and execution!

    Karen in Houston

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  26. Love, love the color. Perfect construction and fit, as always.

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  27. You looks fabulous!! I LOVE LOVE your shoes!

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  28. Stunning!!! I LOVE those shoes!!! You already know I ADORE shoes lol.

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  29. Your dress is sooo lovely! What a great color on you. Beautiful!!!

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  30. It fits you perfectly and the dress is gorgeous. I just love that color blue and those shoes will soo be worth the pain :)

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  31. Fabulous dress. You look wonderful...and you picked the perfect shoes. Hope you have a wonderful time.

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  32. Stunning! The dress is beautiful and beautifully made and the shoes set it off perfectly. Enjoy!

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  33. This is the perfect dress. The fit, the colour, and the style are all ideal for you. You look fantastic!

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  34. Fantastic work! The dress style and colour suits you perfectly. Love the shoes and hear you about only a couple hours of wear.

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  35. All perfection! I must try the fabric strips at the neckline. Well done you!

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  36. Just wonderful - the shoes are the perfect finishing touch! You look fab!

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  37. Gorgeous! I love the color and the shoes are killer.

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  38. Gorgeous dress! Love how you styled it. Have a great time on your visit!

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  39. Your dress is just stunning...love the shoes, but don't think I could wear them for more than 2 minutes..plus I'd be about 6'3" in them......

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  40. I love how your dress turned out -- such a stunning color and flattering silhouette. But I have to say that I absolutely love those shoes! Have a great time!

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  41. Gorgeous, stunning, amazing...any adjectives that I missed? That color, wow! Wonderful work!!

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  42. Absolutely lovely! You look fantastic in this - great work!

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  43. What a beautiful dress! The color is absolutely stunning and I think it really sings even without the bling.

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  44. Wow, stunning dress. And the color ist absolutely fabulous!

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  45. What a truly beautiful dress and accessories!You look great!

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  46. That's an amazing dress, and you styled it so well!

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  47. Just found your blog. You make great stuff! This party dress is especially special. I LOVE the blue color. Looking forward to becoming a regular reader!

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