Velvet Seda Dress

I mixed view A and view B to make this Seda: the skirt of view A looks just as good with the bodice of view B. What other changes did I make? I added a full lining to the dress. In order to add a lining to view B, I just constructed the lining following the instructions for view A but with the elbow length sleeves instead of the short ones. When the lining was ready, I folded and pressed the seam allowances toward the wrong side on the neckline, sleeve hem and center back edges.

Then you just need some patience (or an evening on the sofa with TV, as you prefer) and you handstitch the lining to the dress seam allowances (you can use a fell-stitch or a slip-stitch). I know that handstitching is not everybody’s favorite sewing activity but I really like the control you get and it’s nice to work slowly sometimes.

As for the fabrics I used, I chose a midnight blue silk velvet for the body and plumetis tulle for the shoulder yoke. If you want some tips on sewing with velvet, you’ll find them in the previous post. As I explained there, velvet is quite difficult to sew with, it moves so much, you need extra care with the iron… making this dress was not easy! You see, velvet fabris slips when the right sides are together, so a dress like Seda with so many seams and darts was not the best choice for this delicate fabric.

But in the end, I’m very happy with the result. The dress looks elegant and the tulle yoke adds some nice contrast (the tulle edges are binded with black bias binding made from the lining fabric).

Fun fact: velvet is very slippery and eventhough I basted all the seams together before sewing, my seam allowances ended up being larger than supposed… which means the dress is quite tight on me! On New Year’s Eve dinner, I thought more than once that the zipper was going to break 😉