There was a awful lot of prep last week and an awful lot more procrastination...

I lost count of how many times I muttered "but what would Susan do?" and eventually left everything half finished to wait it out.

But today was day 1 of class 5 in Baltimore.....and its better than ever! So many familiar faces as well as some new, lots of new projects and high energy. I still can't recommend it enough!

I have started working on FS600, it is the more complicated of the two projects planned for this week, I think!

Surprisingly for such a "big" dress there are few pieces. A center front cut on the fold, front side, side back and the back panel.

and the biggest skirt pattern I have ever seen! The back is made up of two panels with a center back seam and zipper. This is just one side.

If this was a true bridal gown the silks would be much wider than the taffeta I am using, which at 56" is shorter than the pattern by a considerable amount, but I had my mind set on this fabric and was willing to compromise if necessary.

To account for this I reduced the center back seam by three inches which has left me with a half inch sewing allowance, which will work in such a huge skirt as there will be no strain on the seams.

but the front was the real issue. The beauty of the design is the gorgeous paneling and I had no idea if I should be reducing/splitting the pattern or altering the grainline so that the front could fit on the folded fabric.

This is the full half front laid out to the middle. Marfy design and test their patterns for maximum effect and I love their clean lines.... to cut this pattern down would have changed the entire look.....but as it turns out choosing a printed taffeta was a smart move..

as I understand it, (and thank you again Susan for such a great explanation) there are very few fabrics that can be used on a different grain but I happened to have one that can....

I was able to lay the silk organza on the fold with the selvedges folded back onto themselves as there is no discernible drape, the weave is tight and the sheen does not alter regardless of the angle, so it will hang in exactly the same way as the back panel (which was cut on grain) and so I can leave the entire piece whole as intended.

Tonight my homework is to join the silk organza underlining to the skirt with thread basting .... and then its onto the bodice which is bringing its own set of issues.

and interesting a trip to Target has hopefully helped solve them!

I had already cut, lined with flannel and thread basted the bodice at home, but after cutting out the skirt today and underlining it with organza, you could see that the two were completely different colours, the edge of the skirt is on the left. The skirt is a pure white and the bodice has taken on a rich cream tone.

and as the bodice will have a corselette, a padded layer is a necessity so that boning will not show through. Jo-annes had no white flannel only the cream I had already used and so a double layer of crisp white high thread sheeting cut on the bias will be used as a substitute and should keep the colours popping. Its quite incredible how much a underlining or lining can effect the outer fabric., so I am interested to see if this will work as well as we hope.

I will take lots of pictures this week and write a very detailed post next week for anyone interested in making either garment, although I don't imagine either will be quite finished!

Audible this week was The ocean at the end of the lane by Neil Gaiman. Stunning, just stunning.

Have a great week!

Leisa