Walter Worker (SPG) Part 1

My latest commission involved replicating one of the Walter Worker dresses (Steam Powered Giraffe) for a fan.

From http://steampoweredgiraffe.wikia.com/

I don't listen to the band myself, but I've got a couple friends who are into it and the premise is interesting. You can read more about the band and the Walter Workers in particular here.

I started off by making a muslin base to fit on my client. Since she is local, I was able to do a bit more nitpicky fitting than I normally am able to.

I draped the bodice and mathematically drafted the sleeves.

My client needed a few tweaks, as there'd been a change in size since we originally measured her and when I was able to actually start sewing. (This is why I always try to get my clients to give me their measurements as close to start time as possible.)

I also switched from side darts to full princess seams.

I then took the muslin apart and transfered the measurements to paper patterns.

Stitching it all up!

 We worked it out so that I saw this client two days in a row, and could test the body of the dress right away and make a few further adjustments.

BTW, the fabric is five yards of a bridal satin I found on eBay.

Very simple collar.

I then put the zipper in to make it easy to put the dress on and off the dress form, as opposed to having to pin up the back each time.

I was quite generous in the hem allowance, to say the least!

The fabric was a bit fussy to work with, and I went with my blind hem foot to eliminate as much puckering from the hem seam as possible.

Sleeve time! The first time I cut out the sleeve puff, it was too small. :(

So I cut it again and added some tulle to the inside to help accentuate the puff shape.

Much better!

Sleeves, buttons and an apron in Part 2!