Marfy 3424 Evening Appeal...The Louboutin look-a-like

Hey Ho!

I am doing another Marfy instruction sew along to the tune of the 2014/2015 Catalogue choice.  I recently ordered this pattern a few weeks ago, and it was one on my list that was available to buy online right away rather than email order on patterns that are in the catalogue but not available online.

Thinking about the look of this dress, the skirt portion looks a lot like my MYST inspired skirt.  I don't have a huge lot of skirts with flair, but I am warming up to it.  I really liked the neck line of this dress.

So, for a few years I have enough silk taffeta remnents to cut out for this bodice.  I thought I had enough white but I don't!!!!  So, I will have to go with my burgundy/merlot coloured silk.  I really have had this fabric since 2007 actually, and I bought an abundance, which I am slowly using up.  I hope I have enough of this for a corset in the near future, as making them may take costs of up to $100, so, think Karin...do you REALLY need it?

The answer is YEAH sure!  Why not!


OK, since I bought a size 46, I need to add 2 cm seam allowance, sew at 1 cm.  I also want to add a 1 inch hem allowance, or 2.5 cm.  I also only add 1 cm for the seam allowance for non-essential sizing seams, so easy right ?!!

I may not even need the added hem allowance which I may change in the progression of this post, but, at least I added it if I need it. Sometimes I really don't like the hem to sit below my knees...it makes me look shorter believe it or not!

OK, the notions you will need:

1. Hook and Eye (maybe)
2. Invisible zipper ( 55 cm or long one)
3. Fusible Interfacing or Sew-in interfacing
4. Lining for bodice or the whole dress...your choice.
5. Fantabulous brooch for evening appeal to wow everyone and perhaps make some jealous

Pieces to cut out (straight grain):

Bodice:

Front Cut 1 on fold (fabric, lining)
Side Front Cut 2 (fabric, lining)
Back Cut 2 (fabric, lining)

Skirt (lining is optional):

Front Cut 1 on fold (fabric)
Side Front Cut 2 (fabric)
Side Back Cut 2 (fabric)
Back Cut 2 (fabric)

Facings/Stay

Front Cut 1 on fold or cut 2 with seam allowance (use interfacing same way)
Back Cut 2 on Bias (do the same for interfacing)

Uninterfaced facings cut the same for the interfaced sections.  They are seperate pieces from the other two.

Let's start with the skirt portion.  There is no rule that says you shouldn't as the bodice is made seperately.

*** Make sure you label your match point letters for each piece.  D is the centre back piece which actually doesn't match up with any piece unless you count the right and left sides of the same piece.
I say to do this because all of the pieces look the same.

Skirt sewing

A seam Front-Side Front

Starting with the CF (centre front), sew the side front piece to front piece at the A seam.  Sew both for right and left sides.  Finish seam if you intend not to line the skirt portion.  Otherwise, leave it.

 Z seam Back-Side Back

With right sides together, sew the Z match seam to join the back piece and the side back seam.  Press seam and finish. 

  Joining Front and Back halves

Now, I know on the side front there is no H matchpoint labelled on the pattern piece that joins to the side back piece, it could be a typo.  Regardless, we need to add the halves together. 
So, with right sides together, sew the side front to the side back for each R and L sides.

  CB finish D matchpoint

Finish the right and left halves of the centre back piece to prepare to install the zipper.  You may choose to serge or zig zag finish it.  I always stress this because I like a clean straight edge to use and it looks more professional.
We want that right??!!

Start sewing at the hem and stop sewing at the lower notch.  I actually stopped lower than the notch because the zipper was longer that I could accomplish this.

I know, lousy picture but take note:
The curved lines shown CF here are at the waist line.
Wavy gravy lines will give that sexy curved look and appear to make a thinner waist

Bodice Sewing

Cut out pieces with your added seam allowaces as it fits you.  I added the 2 cm seam allowance and only added 1 cm in the armhole and neckline since it does not affect the sizing of my bodice to fit my shape.

Now, transfer your pleat lines on the Front piece of the bodice.  There are 3 pleats per side that get pressed towards the CF of the bodice.

***Please note that there is only one notch to match on the Front and Side Front piece.  If you see 2 notches on the Side Front only one lines up with the grain line marker.  This one does not match with the Front.

Pleat lines:

Once that your pleat lines have been transferred to the Front piece, press towards the CF on the right side of fabric and baste across the top to hold down until you are ready to attach the bodice lining.

Side Front A seam

Sew the curved side front seam to fit the front piece.  You may stay stitch along this curve but I don't. Yeah, I'm lazy.  Press seam towards the CF.  Clip curves if you need to.

Side Back-Side Front U seam

This is a very short seam that joins the Side Back to Side Front.  Press seam out.

Finish the CB seam for the zipper installation

Lining Bodice:

Prepare the lining as the steps from the bodice fabric directions.

Now, with right sides together, baste the whole neckline joining the lining and bodice fabric together leaving open the bottom and start and stop sewing 2 cm away from the CB.  We still need to install the zipper.  Leaving it open will allow you to sew the lining onto the zipper later.

 Clip the bodice at the S and O matchpoints. Turn lining to the inside and press.  At this point you can sew the understitching or not.  We still need to attach the neck stay and facings.  I happened to understitch because I wanted the armhole area complete and intact. 
Plus, once again, it gives it a professional look. So do it if you can.

Along the bottom of the bodice press under the seam allowance for the preparation of the lining finish to the dress.  If however you plan to fully line your dress, attaching the bodice lining to the bodice skirt lining is what you would do instead.  I only wanted to line the bodice because....drum roll...I am lazy.

I baste here because bemberg lining is so slippery and annoying with pins.
Notice how the bottom of the lining is free. 

Bodice-Skirt Join

With the skirt portion, sew the seam joining the bodice.  You will need to match the A seam from bodice with the skirt, and the Z seam joins the notch on the Back piece. Only sew the fabric together with the skirt portion.

Adding Neck Stay and Facings

Attach Interfacing to the piece as are both labelled on the pattern pieces. The corresponding piece labelled "Inner" will be your facings.

With the CF piece with the S matchpoint, you may choose to either cut 1 on the fold or cut 2 and make a centre front seam if you like.  I chose to cut on the fold, because it was easier for me.

CF seam(If you choose to make a CF seam)

Sew with right sides together the two front pieces and do the same to the facings but seperate.
Press out.

Shoulder Seam

There is no matchpoint for the shoulder on the stay, but it is clearly marked on the pattern piece.
With right sides together, sew the interfaced front and back pieces together for each side, sewing your facings in the same way but seperate.

 Attaching the Neck Stay to the bodice

***If you have access to the directions of Butterick 5353 or anything similar, you can essentially use these directions to add the facing/stay assembly to the bodice.

Attaching the interfaced stay on the notched side, with your finished bodice, with right sides together, match CF seam(or CF of the fold) of your stay with bodice CF, S matchpoint notch on stay to the S matchpoint on your bodice, match the O matchpoint on the stay with the O match point on your Back bodice. 

Sew this seam along the entire length of your neck line of your bodice leaving 2 cm open at CB.  Press this seam and press away from the bodice. This should make it easier when you are attaching the zipper and the facing section on the zipper.

With the uninterfaced facing, press under the seam allowance to the wrong side on the notched edge.

Attaching Facing to Stay

With the outer seam of your neck line stay, with right sides together, attach the facing to the stay matching shoulder seams, CF match. Leave open 2 cm at the centre back
Once you have pressed the outer seam, press open and understitch.

Here we have the notched edge attached to the bodice/lining assembly.
See the facing sewn to the unnotched edge of stay?
Please understitch this!
Also, press under the facing to attach to the stay like you would with a shirt neck band. 

Attach zipper

Baste on your zipper.  Match the neck line stay and the Bodice-Skirt Join seam as well so they sit level across from each other.  Remember, this is a really important moment because this will show on the outside, so aesthetics is EVERYTHING.

Make a permanent stitch on your zipper once you are satisfied with your basting positions.

**This may be the most difficult part:  The 2 cm open area will have to be slipstitched into place to close off the lining on the zipper.

Hem finish

At this point, or anytime before the skirt hem area was sewn together, do your hem finish.  You know what happened to me here?  Remember about 1000 words ago I mentioned I might change my hem, well I did, because it was just too long!!!

I serged off 2 inches and will finish with a 1.5 inch hem so it sits where I like it.


Lining Finish

Once you have sewn the lining to the zipper, with the pressed under portion of your bodice lining, prepare to do this:

1. Baste carefully the lining edge to the bodice seam join and prepare to stitch in the ditch, so your stitching line is visible on the lining but non-visible to the outside since you have stitched in the seam.
2. Be adventurous and hand stitch your lining to the seam join.  You can slip-stitch or anything you want just as long as your stitching can't be seen to the outside world.
3. Or heck, just leave it unattached except on the zipper.  Trust me, some 'BIG' clothing companies do this and to me it looks really yucky since the price tag for a run-of-the-mill dress was $300? Cough**Sputter**Hack**Choke**

That was my 2 cents.

And that should be it for this dress.

Yay the front!!

 

The back!  I have a hook and eye at the top of the stay.
Make sure those seams on the back line up!!!!

Oh and yeah, I have a fantabulous brooch.  Just waiting to use it!

BTW, silk taffeta rocks for the bodice and stay assembly.  I did not use taffeta for the skirt, a bottom weight cotton/poly was helpful to create the right drape.

Hey here's a thought.  I should nickname this dress my Louboutin dress since most heels are black with a red heel. Iconic shoes.....yes....good colour scheme...yes.

Bye for now!!!