Sleeveless Birdy Dress

Hello...
I decided to make this dress the day before my visit to Hongkong. It was an easy and fast dress to make, I finished it in five hours :)

This dress was inspired by my refashion dress. It has bust darts and back darts, round front neckline and not so deep V back neckline, sleeveless, knee length, three pleats in the front skirt and two pleats in the back skirt and finished the neckline and armholes with bias tape.

Here is my final dress that I wore in Wednesday for mmmay'15 day 20. Husband snapped it in one of the fabric shops in Western Market, Sheung Wan - Hongkong.
I will explain more about the dress detail in the below post and also want to share my visit to the fabric store :)

Pattern And Modification:
This is my second dress based on Built By Wendy Book - Dirndl Dress pattern size 34, you can read my first version ~here~.

Materials:
I bought 3 yards of navy polycotton fabric with birdy prints in Lisbon-Portugal last year. I used 2 yards for this dress and still have the leftover fabric that is enough to make top or skirt.
Invisible zipper
Fusible interfacing
1/2" wide bias tape
Thread

Sewing Process:
I sew the darts and sew front and back bodice right sides together at the shoulder.
I measured 10 cm from CB down and cut in V shape.
After that, I pleated the skirt. Three pleats in the front skirt and two pleats in the back skirt.
Attached the skirt to the bodice right sides together and then sew both side of the dress right sides together.
Sew all the raw edges using an overlocker sewing machine.
I cut 2 cm bias tape from fusible interfacing and fused it in the wrong side of the center back. And then sew the invisible zipper.
Pin and sew the bias tape on the neckline and armholes right sides together and turned the bias tape inside and sew it again.
The last work is hem the dress. I used blind stitching with 4 cm seam allowance. Done!

Here is the pictures of the dress. Front and back views. Also the picture of the inner dress finished with bias tape at the neckline and armholes.

After all, I like how my dress turned out. The two things that I want to change if one day I make a similar one are the darts and the length. I will change the bust darts to the front darts and I will reduce the dress length a little bit.

Now, about my trip to the fabric store. I went to Western Market in the last day of our visit to Hongkong. We get there from MTR Sheung Wan station exit B and walked a little. The fabric store is in the whole the second floor.
Well, I was so overwhelmed seeing the amount of fabrics. I walked from one shop to another, wishing that I could find my goodies :)
In the end I only bought three printed polycottons that will be great to make summer dresses :D

 

 

Happy sewing!