Belle Blue Dress - Part 3

Having successfully finished the bodice, it's now time to get to work on that blouse.

Chiffon is rarely used for structured garments (unless it's an overlay). It's an interesting choice for this blouse, which has a structured neckline... but more on that later. The big thing about chiffon is that it needs to be properly finished. In the past this meant french seams, although now that I have my serger I can just serge the edges.

It also means no more narrow hems on the regular machine. I can use the narrow hem stitch on the serger. This results in some excess fabric on the wrong side of the fabric which I then snip away with a sharp scissors. (Sharp with a rounded tip works best.)

The sleeves will be gathered, so I add a bias tape tube to the ends.

It's a fairly simple blouse to assemble, but there is one fairly elaborate detail - the embroidery on the sleeves and neckline.

We were unable to find chiffon with embroidery just on the edges, so I had to handsew on lace - applique style. It was quite labor intensive as I had to first sew down the design, then trim the edges. Needless to say, such embroidery will not appear on any cheaper versions of this costume I complete!

Above is one of the pictures I sent to my client for approval before sending it off...

And here is the finished product!!!

Remember the structured chiffon issue I mentioned? Well, the neckline of the blouse likes to move around. My client was able to get a good set with pins and such, but we noticed that Emilie de Ravin seemed to have the same issue with her 'official' costume... the neckline of the blouse is in a different position in every picture!  

Final trick of the trade... I used hooks and eyes on the waistline of the bodice and skirt to hold them together and avoid gaping at the waist.

Like this costume? Want to commission a piece of your own? Check out my commissions page for further details!