Simplicity Patterns- The Peplum Shift Dress Part Two

The Peplum Shift Dress | Part Two

I am back with the second instalment on this lovely sewing project. I had so much fun making this dress and as a result of the Great British Sewing Bee I found myself strangely trying to work to a clock...."7 hours left people!" It was as if Patrick and May were in the room spurring me on...I wish! Anyway, I managed to finish but hit a few hurdles along the way.....

 

Stage Three | Sewing together

I had no problem following most of the Simplicity instructions for this pattern, in fact I was hurtling along at a great pace until it came to attaching the facings (front and back). This presented a few issues for me as some of the diagrams on the instructions weren't clear as to wrong and right sides of the fabric- this confused the heck out of me at times. I persevered and managed to fathom it out after a few unpicking sessions.

Stitching the sweetheart neckline- this turned out beautifully!

The fitting process- so much easier when you have a mannequin which mirrors your size

Once the facings had been figured out, the dress went straight onto the mannequin to stitch the final seams. As you can see, this process can really help achieve a great fit- especially if you have a mannequin which is pretty much the same size as you.

TIP! Pad out the mannequin to your size in specific areas....one big giveaway is the bust area- if you are lucky enough to need a bit more fabric here then why not put one of your bras on the mannequin for the fitting process??? Stuff it with a bit of padding and you're away! This will save a lot of unpicking further down the line. Of course, if you know that you always need a bit more fabric in a certain area then it is advisable to alter the pattern before the fabric is even cut.

If for example you are a size 18 bust measurement but a size 12 everywhere else then you would draw on the front and side front paper pattern pieces of this dress with a line tapering from size 12 on the hips and waist up to size 18 on the bust.

Here is the sweetheart neckline once the dress is right side out

Back view

Front view

Stage Four | Finishing touches

The final stage to any dress is always the finishing touches.

• Catch all hems and facings down- in the case of the hem- I hand finished this with a catch stitch. This allows the garment a lot more 'move' and is a very popular vintage method.
• Press, press press! As you can see from the pictures...my dress could do with a proper press and iron but I was so eager to get the blogpost finished! Pressing really does make the garment sparkle and when you have spent so long making something it really is a joy to see it in all its glory!

Next time.....Simplicity Collars Pattern!