Baby's First Redingote!

So yesterday I made mincemeat of nearly five yards of black lace.  As you may recall, I'm working on a cocktail dress that will be a cross between this:



And this:



I don't own either pattern, but I do have an image of the back of both pattern envelopes so I can see what the pattern pieces look like.  The lace overlay will be in the form of a redingote, something like a full-length belted coat, with 3/4 kimono sleeves.  That's what I worked on yesterday and I hope to complete it today.

 

My $2/yd. lace is surprisingly easy to work with and very sturdy.  It doesn't shift (much) or ravel, and a single stitched seam feels very sturdy.  Nevertheless, I've used French seams for the main construction. I picked up a few useful techniques along the way.

I stitched the seams first at 3/8" wrong sides together, then I lay the seam on white tissue paper atop my self-healing mat, so I could see the seam allowance clearly, and trimmed it down to roughly 1/8" with my rotary cutter.



Then I turned the garment inside out and stitched along the enclosed seam at 1/4".  The French seams look like this:



Friends, I so badly wanted these seams to be just 1/8" but I couldn't manage it.  The lace doesn't press and the only way to enclose the seam and trimmed allowance was to feel the bit of bulk with my fingers as I stitched.  It's fine and it's mainly going to be invisible as the underdress is dark taffeta.

The downside of kimono sleeves done in lace is that there's both a visible top and bottom seam (as opposed to a single sleeve seam).  The upside is that there's no shoulder seam.  It's a trade-off.



I will probably trim those vertical back darts, though they're not much thicker than the French seams along the sides.  I trimmed the front darts and they're barely visible.  (Are you following me?)

Here's something else I learned: with transparent lace like this, you can trace the darts atop the pattern piece, which makes things oh, so much easier.  I traced mine in white chalk.



I thought this lace was really going to be a nightmare and it so wasn't.

I also experimented finishing edges with bias strips. This will be the finish along the neckline and the front, which I envision closing with hook and eyes.  (My strips will be made from some black polished cotton I have lying around.  Poly satin is too heavy.)  I may add lace trim if it's not too expensive -- I see a strip of little black lace daisies or the like, don't you? 



Now the question is the underdress:  Simplicity 8270 has a bodice and attached skirt; 8243 has just a slip.



I think I'm going to go the one-piece slip route so I don't have to match the waistlines of two separate garments: the redingote will fit over the slip and be belted.  The slip will be taffeta underlined either with thin cotton or another layer of taffeta (I have 5 yards).  Believe it or not, I'm adapting the slip from this:



It's the only princess-seamed pattern I have and the pieces are nearly identical.  Obviously the bodice will be cut like the top of a slip and I'll add straps.

What do you think?  I didn't want the redingote to have a dirndl-style skirt as the gathers would look thick at the waist.  I think it's full enough -- it will have to be.  Down the line, I may want to experiment with something fuller.

OK, it's time to get to work.  I was delighted to discover yesterday how many of you are lounging around all day in satin smocks and velvet smoking jackets -- actually, just how many of you were lounging at all!

Have a great day, everybody!