Family Gathering Dress - Part 2

As I sit down to write this it's around 7pm and the sun is still shining.  I have been waiting months and months and months for this. Finally, spring is making its way to West Virginia.

Now all the pieces for the Family Gathering Dress (FGD) are cut: lining, underlining, and the chiffon overlay.  I agonized for literally hours on print placement, as the chiffon has a large repeating tile/paisley print all over it.  I tried to place it complementary to itself at different focus areas of the garment, as there wasn't going to be any true "print matching" anywhere.

I wanted a large "burst" at the shoulder strap of the front, and ended up mirroring it on the back.

Front Bodice

Back Bodice

See how the smaller tile on the shoulder band is nowhere on the bodice fabric? Yeah, the pattern on the chiffon is HUGE! So much so that I decided to go for color areas more than actual matching.  The waistband is cut from the same tile as the shoulder band, while the skirt pieces are on the same areas as the bodice front and back, so there are large spaces of white and light blue mixed in with the royal colors of the main motif design.
Skirt pictures to come later. :)

I have sewn the skirt lining with a French seam, and will do the same with the chiffon, though I'm totally terrified.  What if I mess it up?! There isn't enough fabric left to cut those pieces again! merp.

Here's a close-up of the motif on the front left shoulder. I flipped up the bodice so you can see that the lining is a pretty, relaxing celery/mint green. You need relaxing colors when your and your husband's families are meeting for the first time!

You can tell how vibrant the colors are in this photo!

And, just to be thorough, here's a shot of the right side seam.

The chiffon hangs loose over a fitted lining - I LOVE the relaxed vibe of this look!

What I've yet to disclose is that my plan is to bead the front and back shoulder bands. Not the whole band, because it isn't 1995 and I'm not going to a prom...but definitely parts of the main motifs and then dissolving into the small tile pattern. What do you think? I've already bought special beads and invisible thread for it, so the odds of me backing out now are rather slim. :)

My sewing process has followed a standard order as of yet:
- cut
- apply sheer fusible interfacing to waistband and shoulder band pieces
- hand-stitch the underlining to shoulder bands and waistbands using rayon thread
- sew darts in bodice front and back lining and underlining
- hand-stitch underlining to bodice front and back using rayon thread
- stitch right side seam of bodice, then right side seam of bodice lining
** Check the fit and adjust seam size
- attach bodice and bodice lining, right sides together; flip and understitch; stay-stitch both necklines
- stitch right side seam of shoulder bands
- attach bands to bodice, right sides together; attach band lining to top edge of band, right sides together; flip and understitch (other edge will hang loose inside garment for now)


I can't explain how excited I am to attach the waistband and skirt. Eek!! I can't wait to see if I actually like my print layout... Well, I guess there's not really an option. I can't wait to inevitably love my print layout. ;)