Polk-a-Dots for Work

I love this beautiful dress Carla made for her daughter.  This is a perfect dress for a CPA to wear to work!  Thank you Carla for sharing this review.

Butterick 5951

After completing the Susan Khalje Couture Class, I decided to combine some of the couture techniques with some of my favorite techniques.  After making a muslin for view B—which my daughter did not like—I changed the bodice to View A.  I prefer to make adjustments on a traced paper pattern rather than the muslin.  Maybe I will change over time—but I like paper patterns!






I used fabric from Sew Much Fabric.  The bodice is a silk polk-a-dot and the skirt is a black wool (the black wool is now sold out).

I used silk organza to underline the bodice.  I knew I wanted to finish the sleeves as in the couture class by leaving extra seam allowances and catch stitching them to the underlining.  Then I attached the lining to the fashion fabric with a fell stitch.

The couture class only uses regular zippers, and I favor invisible zippers.  My daughter is 26 and no ready to wear for her age uses regular zippers.  I’m sure there is a couture method using invisible zippers, but I don’t know it.  So, I have a modified method—
• Put the zipper in fashion fabric
• Make neck facings out of the fashion fabric and attach to lining
• Attach lining to back at zipper using zipper foot (couture does this by hand)
• Attach lining to neck edge (stabilize neck edge with a stripe of silk organza selvage); understitch
• Turn and press