Finishing (and wearing!) the green 1940's dress

I woke up early this morning and finished the 40's dress so I could wear it today.  It turned out adorable, and I'm already keeping an eye out for the perfect fabric so I can make it again.  Last time I blogged, I had finished the bodice and was ready for the straps.  The straps confused the hell out of me - I sewed them on backwards the first time and had to rip them out and start again.  Doesn't it seem like they would go this way?



That ended up being wrong, even though the pieces matched up. You have to sew it on the opposite way of what feels right.



Then you match up your facing pieces and sew them to the attached straps.  My cat wants to help.



To turn the straps inside right, I used my knife sharpener to push it through.  Whatever works, right?



Once they're inside right, you press into place and topstitch. I used a lot of pins to keep things where they were supposed to be.



Make sure your back bands are the same width or it will be uneven.



I attached my skirt, and did the zipper and hem by hand. I had a lot of trouble with the zipper. The fabric is really thin, and kept catching in the teeth.



I switched to a bigger zipper, but it was still catching. I read somewhere about zipper stabilizer, but I didn't have any and didn't want to run to the store. I instead used a piece of double-sided iron on interfacing, and it stiffened it up perfectly. The zipper glides smoothly without getting caught in the fabric.

And here she is!

I'm wearing it right now to go Christmas shopping, of course with the addition of tights and a cardigan. I know I say this about every project, but I think this is my favorite thing I've made.

Happy shopping!