3 purple dresses

A I am currently sick and unable to do much sewing, I´m posting dresses I did last winter. My two collegues and me (the same ones as the Atonement-girls) wanted matching dresses, but not exactly the same, for the christmas recital. So we decided to use the Simplicity 2959 pattern and three different shades of purple. Adjusting the pattern war quite...astonishing actually. I am a solid size 10. Both of my collegues are 10, too, although from the bust measurement  would have to adjust the pattern to size 14, for one in the back and one in the front:)
So I made mine first and gave it to both of them to try on, to see how much I would have to alter. Amazingly, it fitted both of them perfectly. I have no idea how but it did:)
The fabric is a duchess fabric which I love because it has a really nice drape to it and looks a quite glamorous. I did the draping with black lace which you can tie in front or back.
Here are the three dresses (The hem is not ironed in the pictures - that´s why it looks a little weird)

On the hem I sewed a small lace trim:

Here´s the back view:

And last but not least, a picture of the three of us all dressed up:)

Couture project - sleeve facing

The sleeve hem is getting a hair canvas interfacing, too. After I closed the underarm seam I stitched the interfacing with catchstitches invisibly to the wrong side of the fabric.

After that I sewed the facing on with the right sides together, clipped the corners, trimmed the seam allowence and turned it to the wrong side.

 

I secured the hemlines and edges with pickstitches.

So far so good, more pictures will follow when I start with the lining.

 

Couture project - the collar

Yesterday I made the collar. I padstitchted it (on this picture there´s only half the stichting showing - I hadn´t had the other half done yet).

With the collar stitchted to the jacket it looks like this. For the pictures I already put the shoulder pads inside:

Couture project - in progress

I just LOVE sewing with these techniques! Never in a million years I would have guessed to enjoy it that much.
There´s a lot of hand sewing to do which I´m usually to lazy for.

It´s my fist time working with hair canvas and I imagined it mucn more difficult. Once steamed and pressed it´s easy to handle und has the perfect thickness for my wool fabric.
The seamline of the front and lapel has to be edged with stay tape or bias tape that has been stretched and ironed. I had only bias tape with hearts at home, but as it is on the inside, nobody will see:) 

The pocket has a fold detail which I hand basted for now:

 

First time to try it on my bust - perfect!

My favorite part yet is the seam facing. From the right side it´s completly invisible...

...and that´s how it looks from the left side:

It gives the whole jacket a completly different drape and just looks wonderful. Such a small piece of fabric for such a great effect:)

And that´s how far I got today:

The base is build and fits perfectly. Tomorrow I´ll start on the collar and the sleeves.