Scuba Gardening

May 30, 2016 by sewruth 80 Comments

Frogs in a Bucket brought you plain and solid; Sewcraftychemist brought you stripes: both versions are absolutely fabulous with very accurate seam matching and are stunningly finished and flattering dresses, so much so that I had to make this dress. I have a bit of a posh thing to go to in July and thought I’d try this…. not in solid, not in stripes………

I bring you flowers!

It’s not finished yet – need to hem and sort out the facing and maybe line the dress  but I’m feeling a wee bit guilty about not blogging and the sun was shinning.

Burda 04-2016-119 – shift dress with asymmetrical neckline with detailed seaming.

It’s not a shift dress – it’s a very fitted dress! But don’t you just love those back darts?

I traced a size 42 and then fitted to body along the sides, taking in where I had to. I didn’t put in a back zip  – pointless, as the scuba stretches. And the sway back adjustment was a piece of cake as there is a waist seam, so just make a curved seam at the back. I started with the usual 5/8″ at the side and graduated to 1.5″ at centre back, then out again to 5/8″. Added 3.5″ to length and 1″ to bodice at waistline.

Order of construction went like this:

1. Sew front bodice and back bodice but leave centre back seam open. Sew together at shoulders, leaving side seams open too.
2. Make facings, leaving centre back open and right side together, sew to bodice all the way around armholes and neckline. Trim and clip. Under stitch as far as possible.
3. Pull the left back through the left shoulder seam and same for the right hand side.
4. Press with a damp pressing cloth, 3 or 4 times.
5. Sew centre back seam and facing all in one. Here’s a video to show you how.
6. Sew front skirt and back skirt.
7. Attach skirts to bodices.
8. Put dress on and pin along both sides seams evenly to fit. Sew side seams and side seam on the facings in one go.
9. Press, press, press
10. Hem. (Yet to do)

The whole of the front of the dress is cut on single layer fabric and you need about 1.5m . I got 2m which meant I could position the pattern pieces over certain flowers and fussy cut. There’s no way I was even going to attempt to pattern match. I’m making a long relaxed very fine wool pink coat to wear over and wanted more pink and purple flowers at the front as the coat will be open. The fabulous fabric is from Fabworks – Pretty Kitsch! Notes about scuba….

1. Scuba – a spongy fabric that will not take a precision press
2. Scuba – does not wrinkle  so can roll up in a suitcase for travelling
3. Scuba – stretches to fit the body, even after a very large lunch or dinner
4. Scuba – irony! – make a body con dress for people who have body con issues
5. Scuba – disguises lumps and bumps – don’t know how, just accept and embrace it.
6. Super to sew with; easy, stretchy, doesn’t fray.

So, go sew this dress in geometric, animal, paisley, checks , colour blocks………