Finished Sewing Projects: Two Lace Dresses! ~ Diane's Vintage Zest!

Finished Sewing Projects: Two Lace Dresses!

I was originally scheduled to post about this a couple of weeks ago, but I was a bit lazy to take the pictures and then I had a few link parties for my birthday.  :)  I think it's well worth the wait!  Also, I have a question for you guys at the end of the post, because I'm not quite sure how to completely finish the blue dress...


Remember waaay back in February when I shared my works in progress?  Well, there was a green lace dress that I hoped would be a wearable muslin for a lace overlay dress that I had in mind.  It wasn't the best, and I detailed a few problems I had in that previous post.

I finally finished the dress AND my final version of the dress because I specifically carved out some time to sew last weekend.  I didn't want this to be a UFO, taunting me by hanging on Lily anymore!

Without further ado, my two new lace dresses!



For those of you who haven't been following from the beginning of my blog, I realized that I've been talking about making this dress from the very beginning!  Let's look back in time to see the evolution of this dress.  :)


1) On January 7th (my 4th post ever!), you can see the fabric when I bought it from the swap meet.

2) The day afterwards, January 8th, I showed how I organize and fold my fabric... and there's the blue lace and the black fabric I used underneath!  See it?

3) On January 24th, I shared my weekend activities, which included cutting out a ton of patterns.  At the very bottom of the post, you can see the fabric for the blue lace dress in a neatly folded pile!

*This doesn't count as progress towards my blue dress, but I shared the green lace dress on February 19th, like I mentioned previously.

4) Then it sat for a long time, until I got my Chakoner!  On my March 8th post (more than a month later!), I marked up all of my dress pieces with ease.



Yep, it hasn't been posted about since then at all!  It was in the works since January 7th (and the green one since Octoberish?), and I finished it on May 18th.  Whew!

That's more than 4 months in the making!  Basically I took my sweet time between each step.

1) Buy fabric & fold
2) Wait 2.5 weeks.
3) Cut fabric.
4) Wait 7 weeks.
5) Mark fabric.
6) Wait 10 weeks.
7) Sew garment!
8) Wonder what took me so long...

Anyways, I love the dress even if it isn't what I had in mind initially.  One of the changes that I made to my original plan included scrapping the sleeves altogether, even though the fabric was already cut.

-DSC02236

I think the dark navy blue is so elegant!  And I'm not sure how this is even possible, but I found an invisible zipper in my stash that matched pretty well!

-DSC02237

The skirt hem isn't what I initially had in mind.  In fact, I tried making a blind hem, but it made ended up way too short!  I had to rip it out and ended up with a more appropriate length.

-DSC02239

All in all, I'm happy with my new party dress!


The green dress got some love too, with the addition of the buttons...

-DSC02233
These are the same buttons I used on my Beignet skirt!

...plus the hemming and cutting of the edges of the lace.

-DSC02232


I haven't put buttons on my blue dress yet (or finished the neckline/armholes), so I have a question for you.  Do you think I should put them in?  My three options are...

1) Do nothing.
2) Add buttons only on the bodice portion.
3) Add buttons along the entire front, like on the green dress.

-DSC02235
This weird angle makes it look like the seam down the center is wonky...  I promise it isn't!

I have an idea of what I prefer, but I'd love to hear what you think.  Thanks!




16 comments:

  1. I really like the blue lace one. I love that shade of blue with black. Have a great day.

    Heidi’s Wanderings

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  2. Very cute dresses! I have a sewing machine that's never been out of it's box (don't ask how many years it's been!) and I would love to be able to sew. And also to have the time to sew! New follower here via the Collective hop!
    Mercedes
    http://www.projectprocrastinot.blogspot.com

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  3. Very pretty dresses. Lace is always so beautiful! You did a great job.
    ~Kim
    www.2justByou.com

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  4. Thanks! So the tally is 1 vote for option #2. Thanks!

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  5. Honestly, I won't be wearing it since it's not a perfect muslin, so I decided not to finish them. The two methods that I would consider is to use interfacing and then cut away around the scalloped edges, or to use a binding, like I did down the center (where the buttons are). That'll be the last step for my blue dress!

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  6. These look great!! I think adding buttons on the bodice of the blue dress would be so cute!

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  7. Love the mint green lace dress with contrasting lining and buttons.
    How did you finish the neckline and armholes?

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  8. Gorgeous dresses! I really like the green lace.

    Navy Wifey Peters @ Submarine Sunday Link Party #36

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  9. Love the blue dress, gorgeous! Good work! I feel you on waiting forever to finish a project, too, I have a quilt cut and pinned together for my son's room that I have been sitting on for over six months! You are not alone!

    Ps. I am your newest follower on g+, pinterest, FB and twitter! Love your blog!

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  10. So pretty! They look amazing, you have sewing skills, I see!

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  11. Wow I want these dresses in every color!

    Visiting from the DIY Dreamer Link Up!

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  12. They look so pretty! The zip has been put in flawlessly :)

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  13. Thank you for sharing on Blog Stalking Thursday! I have featured your project on Blog Stalking Thursday Features YOU! The post is going live later tonight. I would love for you to stop by and grab a feature button. Thanks again for sharing!

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  14. These dresses came out great. We are featuring them at this weeks party. Thanks so much for sharing with Adorned From Above's Blog Hop. The party will be back this week starting Tuesday and 8:00PM mountain time. We can't wait to see what you have to share this week.

    Have a great week.

    Debi and Charly

    http://www.adornedfromabove.com

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  15. Thanks so much! Can't wait to link up and see some amazing projects this week. :)

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I love to hear your comments! And putting in your two cents is always free. :)

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