Dress (lack of) Progress

So sorry for the late post, I hope no one is waiting for me!  My excuse is that the place I usually buy my zippers locally has inexplicably been closed for over a week now and so this project has lost some momentum.  I'll have to go and trek further away to get one, but won't be able to until next week.

But I did get a bit further which I hope will clarify what happens with those unfinished front lining edges as already seen in this photo;

After this you join the the front and back at the shoulder seam and put to one side.  Then stitch the darts in the upper back and attach to the upper front.  Now you attach the upper front right side to the wrong side of the dress joining along those unfinished lining edges above and continuing round the back neck.

I should add here that Burda want you to finish the seams with strips of lining as binding, but since I want to have a chance of actually finishing the dress I am just serging.  So that raw lining edge gets finished at this stage (although it looks like Burda leave it unfinished since it is hidden under the upper front).

I also understitched this seam to help stop those facing pieces from flipping out.  Then turn the upper pieces over the dress pieces and it begins to look something like the drawing.  Hooray!

Gee, this is hard to explain, Burda have my sympathies with this one - I hope these pictures help.  Please fire away if you need more pictures or explanation and I will do my best - and also bear in mind that I may have done something wrong!

Inside dress front - that previously raw front basted edge is now joined to the upper front (which is against the dressform in this view)

Close up of inside showing understitching of the facing pieces

Outside dress front after attaching upper pieces

Next we need to baste together the upper front to the facing and stitch them to the dress front - between the two corners.  I strongly recommend you reinforce the dress front around the U shape - I didn't until I realised that after so much handling mine has started to fray a bit.  Maybe you are supposed to go round the corner when you attach the facing pieces?  I think I am really going to struggle now to get a nice square corner so when I do go and buy my zipper I might try and buy something (studs, trim etc.) that I can attach over that seam to hide the predicted mess!

While waiting for a shopping opportunity I felt like working on something a little easier.  Also my Patrones subscription just came up for renewal and I was feeling guilty about not using it much so I'm making this simple ruffled tank from issue #307.  I just need to finish the armscyes and hem so I'll show you that next time by which time I should have a zip and mystery notions to finish the dress.