This Blue Dress Took 3 Years!

 I cut this dress out back in August 2023. This January(2026) I pulled out the pieces to start working on the dress.

This is how I put in a centered zipper. I find the best results are achieved when I baste the zipper in with a spiraling zigzag stitch that holds the zipper teeth directly on the seam.

It turned out pretty good on the first time. I didn't have to do any stitch ripping. Yay!

I usually put an invisible zipper in this pattern, but I didn't find one right away so I went forward with the centered zipper. Sometimes you've got to keep chugging and not get derailed on the details.

I tried machine sewing the button holes. They were awful. I had to take them all out and hand stitch the button holes.

Much better! 

I also added 2 more buttons because I had smaller buttons than the pattern called for. I had to change the placement of the button holes to add the extra 2 buttons.

Because this dress took me so long to finish I had gotten it soiled dragging it around from sewing station to sewing station: from the kitchen table, to the living room, to the van for road trip sewing sessions, to the picnic table. I hope the spots come out.

This is after the wash.... Not too bad. Not too bad.

I see some issues with the fit. 

I'm pretty sure I need to learn how to do a full bust adjustment. I can see some pull lines and the waistline is riding up in the front. Those are signs that I need a full bust adjustment. I have watched how-to videos and read tutorials, but I am still super intimidated to try customizing a pattern.  

I have one more dress already cut and ready to sew. Since it is already cut out I am going to put off learning how to do a FBA yet again.

Have you ever had to adjust a pattern to fit your measurements? How did it turn out? Was it easy to learn?

These institutions don't seem too hard.