Garment toile

Above is my first steps and attempts at toiling my dress, my first challenge was creating the V shape section on the front and finding a way to incorporate the darts within this, so it is possible to also insert the chiffon section into the front. I have replicated this also with the darts on the back of the dress as shown above where a zip will sit in the centre back to allow access into the garment.

On the hip section of the dress there are three almost bone shape decorative features, above I have attempted to sew these in using net as a substitute for chiffon. I have had really trouble with this section of the dress as every time I have sewn them in it has distorted the shape of the front of the dress as shown above. I may have to think of another way to design this section. One possibility may be to cut out the sections and bind the edged and possibly have the lining created from the chiffon to allow the colour of the fabric to show through. However I would have to test this as binding could also distorted the dress front. Another option may also been to use embroidery thread to create them as had stitched detailing.

Next I went on to create the almost tu-tu section at the bottom of the dress this was created using 5m of net cut into 3 different sections that were 30cm, 45cm and 60cm wide. I firstly attempted to create the ruffles by gathering, however this was un-successful due to the length of the net being so long that the thread kept snapping when being pulled through. Instead I sewed the 3 pieces of net together and then attached them to the finished hem of the dress. However I am not sure if I am pleased with how this looks and feel that I may possibly insert a lining inside that the net could be attached to along the finished hem of the dress to lay neatly over the top.

Then I drafted a collar and created just the stand to act as a support for the ruffled neck piece to sit on. The gathered neck piece was created using 1m of net that was doubled over and sewn and then tacked though the centre and gathered. This was then sewn to the seam of the stand.

To finish the edges of the armholes and neck I created facings and sewed these in. I believe this gives the garment a neat finish and was the best possible solution to this. However in the picture above you can see through the calico where the facing at the front finishes. Hopefully this is only due to the fabric being calico and not the poly wool I will be using. The facings inside will also be useful and help if I wish to line the garment.

Above is the garment on an actual person, my sister reluctantly agreed to try it on for me although not being the tallest person in the world this did not help :). I am pleased with the overall fit and look of the garment so far. Main points to come out of trying it on a person were that it is tight on the hips and bum area so this may need to be addressed to allow the model to easily walk in the garment. Also because of the garment being so tight fitting the zip at the back may need to be extended to come down to the base of the spine to allow access in and out of the garment.

Steps to carry out next include sewing the gathered fabric panel at the front into the dress to complete the toile. And starting to toile the jacket that will go with the dress.