The Violet Dress by Aila and Frankie
/We spent the past week taking a look at Zippers and showed you types, tutorials, and some patterns. This new dress by Aila and Frankie is a great pattern to try your hand at invisible Zippers. And to get you in the mood - Zipper Island is giving away $15 to spend in their shop!!!!!!!!!!!! Take it away Ari......
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Zippers are an adventure for anyone, and invisible zippers can be even more intimidating! Even though I’ve sewed invisible zippers a handful of times before, they still make me nervous and I still need to get out my big Reader’s Digest Sewing book to guide me every step of the way. The Violet Dress pattern, however, had me gliding through the dress construction and invisible zipper installation before I even knew what I was doing!
Laura of Aila and Frankie, the pattern designer behind this dress, shows you every step of the way how to make a fully lined bodice (even the sleeves) with total ease and her instructions are very easy to follow - even I had no problems with this pattern! I only had one invisible zipper in my stash, so I was a bit nervous about ruining it and wrecking everything and having to go out and buy a new zipper the next day, however one zipper is all you’re going to need. The instructions on making the dress are so clear and simplified, making sure you are prepared for the next step and are aware of what could possibly go wrong and how to make sure it doesn’t happen. I was very impressed with how easily this dress came together! I really love the fully lined bodice, and combined with the optional skirt lining I have a dress that looks equally as beautiful on the inside as it does on the outside! I think my favourite part is the unique little neckline.
The finished product photos of this dress on the pattern really don’t do it justice, as I’m 100% sure I’ve got a new favourite dress pattern! I feel I could have definitely sewed closer to the zipper teeth because my invisible zipper isn’t as invisible as I would have liked, so don’t be as concerned as I was and get that stitching line as close as you can!
