Billie Jean bombshell

I love absolutely love seeing all your Bluegingerdoll creations out there in the wild, but even more i love sharing them here on the blog. So guess what here is another spectacular creation.

The lovely Sandra, blog Sewist Stitch  has gone and stitched up a bombshell Billie Jean wiggle dress that looks absolutely AMAZING on her! And the fabric is sooo pretty i would love to get my hands on some!

Sandra being the cool gal that she is, has also taken the time to answer a few questions about sewing up her Billie Jean dress, so take it away Sandra....

What type of fabric did you use? What inspired your choice of fabric?

I chose a bold floral cotton sateen.  I'm not usual a floral girl, but the colours and the large print just drew me in.  I chose a cotton voile for the lining so it wouldn't get all hot and sticky during summer.

Did your  Billie Jean dress  live up to the image you had in your mind?

The dress is way better than I imagined it to be.  For ages I had been sitting on the fence about buying this pattern because of the off the shoulder straps and I'm not a huge fan of the strapless bra.   Then I read a comment on a blog somewhere that suggested a bra stay on the shoulders would still allow the Billie Jean dress to be worn for a normal bra without having to worry about falling straps.  The bodice the of dress is much much much better than I imaged it to be.

Tell us a bit about your making process, any tweaks you made? 

I made a muslin first which is where I made some adjustments to the front princess seam.  I had to adjust the curve of the side front to fit the location and size of my boobs.  I also lengthen the bodice, which is something that I have to do 99% of the time anyway.

I really love how the front bodice is attached to the front skirt, the back bodice pieces are attached to the back skirt pieces and THEN the side seams are sewn.  This order of constructions allows you to line up the darts in the skirt with the princess seams in the bodice perfectly.  It also allows for minor fit adjustments to be made at the side seams, although in saying that I probably could have nipped in the waist another 1/2" on this dress.  This means that all the construction is sewn in the flat - gotta love that :)

I did consider shortening the skirt to knee length, but then decided not to and kept the original pattern length.  I'm so glad I made that decision, as I think the length of the skirt is part of the charm of the dress.

 What thoughts do you have about the project?

I really like the fit of the Billie Jean.  Whilst it is a 'wiggle' dress it is so easy and comfortable to wear.  In no way do I feel restricted (other than slightly changing the way I get in and out of the car!).  If you were looking for a little bit more freedom in the skirt it would be easy enough to lift the back vent up a little.

Are you planning any future Billie Jean dresses?

I am about half way through my second Billie Jean.  My second is a formal dress constructed with couture techniques.  I hadn't planned on making a second so quickly but the need of a formal dress arose and it was a real no-brainer that I paired Billie Jean with some fabric that had been in my stash for years.  More on that one soon.

Check out Sandra's blog, Sewist Stitch for all the details as well as all her other awesome sewing creations!

 Remember also  if you have sewn up a Bluegingerdoll pattern then get in contact and share it with us all or simply upload it to the Flickr group.

Abby
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