Fall for Cotton: I finally made a start!

I can't believe the month is half over and I started planning this back in August!  Where has the time gone???

Anyway, just to refresh, this is what I'm making:

I'm recreating the vintage dress I saw at the Rose Seidler House fair with this amazing border print cotton that I purchased at the same fair

For the bodice I decided to use a blouse pattern that I've made a few times before (that I've done a FBA on) that fits really well - this one:

I'm just going to change the shoulders so it mimicks the inspiration dress

So I got out some fabric scraps and roughly made up the blouse.  Then I attacked it with a texta to get the right shapes for the waistline decoration:

I know the photo isn't the best, but you get the idea

And I had to make up what happens on the back, because to be honest, I don't remember what the back of the inspiration dress looks like...

I went for the bands continuing around the back

Then I cut up the stripes so I could make pattern pattern pieces from them - pretty straighforward huh!

Have any keen eyed people spotted the rather large error I made? 

I didn't either, until about 2am Sunday morning when I woke up thinking two things - a) gee my throat is sore; and b) bugger!  I got that wrong yesterday!

Yes, I sewed up the left side and left the right side open.  Derr.  I should have sewed up the right side and left the left side open cause vintage dresses zip up on the left!!!!!

Its ok though, I can just fix the pattern pieces, I don't have to do the same thing over again thank goodness!  And I would have already taken care of it if I hadn't come down with the flu (after not being sick once all winter!)

Last weekend I also went and purchased the bits I will need to make the piping to decorate these pieces.  It was slightly more complicated than I thought.  A tutorial I read here used premade bias tape as a short cut.  "Brilliant" I thought, cause you guys know how much I love a good short cut!  BUT all the bias tape that Spotlight stocks is poly-cotton. Sigh!  Can't use that in the Fall for Cotton Sewalong now can I!!!

So instead I purchased some quilting fabric in a lovely shade of dark royal blue, and some cotton piping cord.  I will be making my own bias tape and then wrapping it around the cord to make my own piping.  I'll use some more of my home made bias tape to make a tube to form the bow.

I'm aiming to do that this week so that when the weekend comes I'm ready to tackle the dress.  I'd LOVE to get it done this coming weekend.

So in closing, has anyone else had a 'derr' moment like I did?  Tell me your horror stories and make me feel better!

Beccie
xxx