Spring break means spring cleaning, which I am almost done with so I took a break to get some more work done on the dress.

First off, here’s my revamped sewing area.  I realize without a before picture this doesn’t have all that much impact but picture giant Tupperware boxes in the corner to the right of the table and piles of projects on top of that.  They were moved to under my desk, where they are still piled but completely out of site and don’t spoil the aesthetic of the rest of the space.

Part one was hemming the bottom of the skirt and putting in the gathering stitches.  I decided to do the hem at this point to make life a little easier later.

Pinning the bodice and skirt together and preparing to pull the gathers.  I have spent many years perfecting my gathering stitches.  I used to do them fairly unevenly, not to the point that the dresses/garments were unwearable but they definitely had a “homemade” feel to them.  I’ve learned a number of techniques and how to do them properly and now things come out much better.

Bodice and skirt attached.  This pattern differed from others in that the bodice lining goes in after the skirt is attached.

Pinning the lining and getting ready to hand sew the seams shut.  

The dress, completely lined and topstitched, ready for finishing work (that finishing work post coming up soon!).