January Jones Eat Your Heart Out...I don't really mean that.

What a whirlwind of sewing it has been. Hot, hot, hot!!! I am so pleased with how this dress came out. For the very first time since I started sewing a few months ago, I feel like a seamstress. I went all out in finishing this dress so it looks as good (almost) on the inside as it does on the outside. I am just ga ga for it.

I sit here, Thursday afternoon, waiting for hubby to come home and photograph me. He has not gotten used to the fact that he never knows who he might come home to. I could be all dressed up, as tonight, or still in my pj's. He does not really like the uncertainty of it all. I can't wait to hear what he thinks of this. Who knows, maybe he will like it, but I won't count on it.

I feel that I am a mix of Betty and Joan in this. Certainly Betty's shape, but the detail on the front neckline of the dress reminds me of Joans signature piece of jewelry. I did my hair more like Joan might wear also. My hair is too long to do a Betty hairstyle. I am also wearing foundation garments just as Joan or Betty might. Too bad I don't have a foundation to fill them with like Christina Hendricks. Oh well, not even close, but one can dream.

Let's remember the inspiration for my "BDD" Betty Draper Dress. This is a promotional photo for season 4. So it looks like with this dress I am right in Mad Men style. I like that too. I did not have the perfect shoes to wear with this dress. Betty would have. So would Joan.

I love how teeny tiny this makes my waist look. I will make this pattern again and again. Who could have imagined this pattern could look so glamorous? Well I guess I could.

Lisette at WWNDW has a tutorial on making a lapped zipper. I followed it completely and it came out perfect. I was so happy I could have jumped through the computer screen and hugged her.

The fabric was almost free. The zipper was in my stash as was the lace seam binding. The buttons, which I purchased over 10 years ago were $2.50 each and the most expensive part of the dress. They are beaded. I hope you can get an idea of how spectacular they are with these photos.

 

I got the seams in the back to match up perfectly. How did I do that?

The front skirt has a facing. Someone tell me what that is all about. Is it for structure?

I hand stitched the hem and used a sweet lace hem binding. I love how it looks and I'm sure anything that Betty would wear would have this nice element to it. I stitched it while listening to Pink Martini play Ravel's Bolero(worth looking at just for the vintage photos) Thanks Rachel for turning me on to that. It took 3 replays of the song for me to finish the hem.