Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Pirates of the Caribbean: Gold Dress Finished


After someone just asked me about the sleeves on my gold Elizabeth dress, it occured to me that I never posted a completed photo! Unfortunately, the night I wore it we were in quite a hurry getting ready, so it's not the best--but at least you can see how it came together. I really need to finish the panniers to wear underneath it, and hem it properly--as you can see it's dragging a bit here. Next time I have my colonial corset on, I'll take some proper photos!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This looks great! I'm working on this dress right now. How did you get the machine embroidery? I have an embroidery machine and having been thinking about trying to digitize the designs but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Also, do you have any tips on converting the zipper to a lace-up back? I'm planning to do this. Thanks!

Dintarmawen Design said...

The embroidery designs aren't true to the original--I too had hoped to digitize the exact pattern but time just wasn't on my side! These were designs that came with my machine--I just combined a few that seemed in the same spirit as hers and had a lace-like appearance. I then added the beads on top by hand.

I got the dress out to look at it to see how I'd done the back--I couldn't remember! =) Typically, I'll add an extra inch to the back seam, then just fold it over along the original seam line where the zipper would be inserted and tack it to the inside lining--that gives you four layers to set your grommets through so it's a little more sturdy! (If you're lacing it tight, I'd recommend putting bones along each side of the grommets too.) On this one, however, I was planning to wear it over my colonial corset, so I knew the laces wouldn't be as strained. I just used the normal seam allowance, but I sewed the fabric to the lining down that edge, turned it right side out, understitched it to the lining, and then installed the grommets before I attached it to the next piece. That gave me a nice finished edge, and a tiny bit of bulk along the edge to support the grommets. A picture before it was sewn in is in the post here