Thursday, July 25, 2019

Finishing the Haslam Project


This is the last of these in progress posts, I promise!  Then, there is the issue of getting through the pictures of me wearing the dress, which I am afraid will take far longer than I want.  But I will get there in the end!


I always underestimate the amount of time required to finish one of these involved projects.  Of course, it helps to get some of the moving parts finished before they are actually needed.  Case in point . . . shoulder pads.


I didn't want too much bulk through the shoulder, so I only used a few layers of cotton batting.  And then all I needed to do was cover the batting with pieces of my fashion fabric.


Even though I thought I had added at least three extra inches to the skirt length, I only turned up 1 3/8" for the hem.


But once I put the dress on with my heels, I decided I wanted the dress to be slightly longer.  I really wish that the hem was deeper, but it works.


The final thing to do was add a waist stay.  I even had a length of petersham ribbon that matched my fabric perfectly!


The stay makes it impossible for any pulling at the waistline since it is slightly smaller than the circumference of the dress waistline.  Since my closure is a row of buttons, this is especially important.


Here you can see how the stay works within the garment.


And then all those bits of basting thread need to be removed (at least, the visible ones).  I will admit that I don't often remove any basting so long as it is within the seam allowances and will not be seen by anyone other than myself.


And that means the garment is complete!


It's been a fun journey.  Does it make me want to start drafting sewing patterns from scratch?  No!  But it was a good test of my sewing knowledge, and I am pleased with the finished results, so overall, I am calling this a successful experiment.


9 comments:

  1. Absolutely stunning! I always really enjoy your interior garment photos. Your work is just so clean, and a pleasure to look at.
    By the way, we’ve started a Haslam Sewing Support Group on Facebook to help others become more comfortable with the system.
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/HaslamSewing/

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  2. This is beautiful, Laura Mae -- can't wait to see the photo shoot. Am I correct that I was with you when you purchased this fabric (at Elliot Berman)?

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  3. beautiful and those buttons are fantastic.

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  4. Perhaps the Starlight Room is the perfect backdrop, even if you just posed at the entrance.

    This dress couldn't show less, or be more captivating.

    Will we see T-straps and a Victory Roll?

    Awaiting...

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  5. Oh my. All that drafting paid off. I look forward to the modeling photos, to get some light on the details.
    This is just beautiful. Wow. You know when you see someone in a dress that is so unique, you know they didn't buy it in a store?
    This is that dress.

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  6. What a rewarding project! You are such an inspiration, your work is exquisite!

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  7. Really lovely , great job .

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  8. Beautiful work. I can't wait to see it on!

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  9. Wonderful! Thank you for sharing your journey!

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