next step

After the fitting, we dressed the stand up and left it for the designer to play with trim placement.
This is what we saw in the morning.

Originally the designer wanted to use the shapes inherent in the beaded fabric to create a scalloped edge. I thought the shapes were too big and didn't work, but the idea of leaving a border of the plain silk on the front edge was a good one.

Turns out we are ditching the scallop idea and using the fabric plain, with borders of the plain silk. Yeah!

The beaded silk will lay on top of the existing fronts. We'll figure out how to best attach it, avoiding stitching over the beads of course, on Monday. The trim will cover the edge of the beaded silk so that works in our favour. I imagine we will try to stitch the beaded fabric edge down by machine, and sew the trim on by hand. The trim is very wobbly and by the time you baste it on, it could have been sewn by hand . Same with the narrow braid that serpentines down the front, winding its way around the button placement.

I'll have to make copies of the coat front pattern and work out all the details concerning the size and shape of the band of plain fabric on the fronts and hem, the button placement and the serpentine pattern of the trim. Same process for the cuffs and pocket flaps.

The beaded silk will end at the first turnback of the skirt pleats, so the pleated area will remain the plain silk, on both the fronts and backs.

I will just cut new sleeves in the beaded silk as it makes no sense to double up the fabric where it is not needed. There are some alterations to do on the size of the cuffs anyway. The cuffs will also be of the beaded silk with a border of plain blue and a repeat of the trims.

This is a typical process here where the first idea simmers along for a while and then changes once the garment is three dimensional and on the body. I just wish we were at this stage two weeks ago, and the stress of getting it done in a week and half would be much less.

Oh well, I got another stitcher starting Monday so that has to help. I just need to get it all cut out so we can move ahead. I hope one fitting is going to be enough because there won't be time for another.........

As I was cutting into the beaded fabric on Friday, I kept wondering what the machinery looked like that made this beaded fabric. Boggles the mind really.