Butterick B4443 - Part 3 and look Mum, my 5 mins of fame.....

Also entitled, is interfacing and interlining the bodice a tad too much?

Yesterday the dress came together.  If you had the luxury of sewing for one full day you could make this dress as it's so simple.  Sadly I don't so I have the lining to complete and the corselette to attach:

This is the interfaced and interlined bodice section, attached to the skirt.  Remember to trim all excess seam allowances anywhere a seam crosses to reduce bulk (yet to trim the seams in this picture)

 I wanted to show you how to ensure your zip doesn't move when inserting it.  It's one of those simple techniques, but makes a huge difference to the back seam by keeping the horizontal seams in one line! (and an excuse to show off my newly manicured nails....)

 See, by crossing the pins, the zip has no way of shifting as you stitch.  Oh, I forgot to mention I decided to go with a concealed zip because I don't want any more bulk in the back area (remember there will also be the corselette closure too)

Lastly, for this stage, I try the dress on inside out and pin the front to the back down both side seams.  As you can see, there was a little bit of tweaking on the bodice, but I expected this.

And Finally....

My edition of Sew Today arrived yesterday morning so  I made a nice cup of tea and settled down to read it in peace. 

 I nearly spilt my tea when I saw this on the second page....

It's me!!!  I'm deep in conversation with Sara Radford who makes boned bodices and corsets.  She was displaying a tutu, which I'm sure Sara won't mind me saying wasn't really a tutu.  It was her first attempt so to save costs she used dress net and gathered every layer.  If you look carefully the bodice is a pretty underbust corset - not something a ballerina could wear on stage, ha,ha! We were at Sewing For Pleasure at the NEC end of March (where I bought this dress fabric).  I don't remember having my picture taken at all.  Queue quietly for autographs please.......

And just because, here is a picture of Alison Smith - a lovely, lovely lady who runs and owns Fabulous Fabrics and Alison Victoria School of Sewing.  I have taken a few of Alison's courses and always enjoy every moment I spend with her.  Look at that beautiful red corset!

I hope you are having a good day.  It's Good Friday, so fish on the BBQ this evening...