Blue Lace Dress

Thanks for the nice comments on Marfy 2608. 

Here is the second fancy dress I've made in the past month.  Don't tell the others, but this is my favorite!  I had a vision in my head, and against all odds, the finished product is exactly what I had hoped for!  I was able to find the lace I wanted and a suitable pattern to make it happen.

I showed some of my construction process, including the lace muslin, here.  The pattern I used is Vogue 7852, so out of print, it's not even on the website anymore.  The entire strapless underdress was made exactly from the pattern.  The lace shell is cobbled together from pieces of that pattern to make a darted sheath. 

 On the back, I decided to leave the lace unfastened between the top of the lined portion and the neckline.  There are hook and eyes at the top of the lace and at the top of the strapless dress.  There is also an invisible zipper.

 The zipper is the only place where the lace shell and the strapless dress are connected.  I treated the lace shell and the outer layer of the strapless dress as one to put in the invisible zipper.  Then, I hand stitched the lining, including the foundation, to the zipper.  I think it's a nice clean finish inside.  I constructed the foundation on the lining, after using a lightweight, woven interfacing in the boned portions.  The outer layer of the strapless dress has a cotton flannel underlining on the boned portion, to pad and camouflage the boning from the outside.

 Here is a look at how I finished the neckline and armhole edges.  I considered hand stitching the scalloped edge (cut from extra lace) to the openings, but in the end, I used two rows of machine stitching, and you absolutely cannot see them in the intricate lace.  I'm just glad I didn't have to rip any of those stitches out!

This is probably the most expensive dress I've made - 1.5 yards of lace at $82/yard plus the other materials - but it was completely worth it.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE this dress and it will be my go-to cocktail dress as long as it fits.