A Stitching Odyssey: One Pattern Seven Bloggers #5: Finished!

So here we are, at the very end of One Pattern Seven Bloggers, and I'm delighted to report that I have successfully completed the project! Thank you Sam - All things quilty...and sewy - for being the mastermind behind this idea and for seeing enough potential in me to ask me to join in.

Brief recap:

For those of you who don't know, the idea behind One Pattern Seven Bloggers was for us to take to take this BurdaStyle pattern and put our own spin on it, in four weeks. For anyone wanting to look back at how we all got on, the schedule was as follows:

Week 1 – Inspiration

Week 2 – Muslin

Week 3 – Fabric

Week 4 – Techniques

Lessons learned:

I found out a lot about myself during this project. Probably stemming from the fact that I'm an only child, I usually like to work alone and at my own pace. However, working to weekly deadlines and not wanting to let others down, really helped to keep me motivated and on track. There were times when I wanted to quit and probably would have if I was working alone – the bodice took about three muslins to get right and the collar was definitely a challenge to draft – but there was no way I could let the other girls down. My dress is by no means perfect, but it's definitely wearable with a belt. I'm particularly proud of it, as it was practically self-drafted because the BurdaStyle pattern came without skirt pieces, I had to re-work the bodice A LOT and I drafted the collar. I also managed to use fabric solely from my stash, so that was a bonus!

Anyway, without further ado here are some pictures, which were only possible due to the sun's decision to grace us for an hour or so yesterday:

 

 

Close up of my collar, which was drafted using Casey's excellent 30s scalloped collar tutorial. I think it really makes what would otherwise be a very plain dress.

I also wanted to do things properly, so I top stitched my scallops and under stiched my neckline...are you impressed?

Not that I'm obsessed with Casey or anything, but I also used her method of inserting a 1940s-style side seam zip.

I also lined my bodice, which has made this my neatest self-made dress on the inside.

Check out how the other gorgeous girls' dresses came out:

Rachel - My Messings

Kat - Petticoats & Peplums

Amy - Sewing Through the Motions

Reana Louise - Curves, Patterns and Pins

Jen - Pretty Little Pictures

Sam - All things quilty...and sewy