Lining is done and fit to my old yellow beat up Gene who now works as my fit model. I like to use a lighter color lining material to hopefully prevent discoloring of the doll.
The bodice is completed and the zipper is set in. The lining has to be hand stitched to the dress around the zipper. Because of the zipper and the way this constructed, I also had to hand stitch the bottom sleeve edges together. Usually that's done before sewing the side seams but because of the back being stitched closed, I couldn't make it work. Now I have to sew the front and back flounces together and gather them into the upper skirt. The flounce is sewn to the gown and the lining is pinned in place ready to be hand stitched to the dress. After hemming, I added a little rhinestone brooch at the neck. Underneath the skirt is a two-tiered tulle petticoat to give it fullness. Of course, there had to be an accessory so I went with a hat made from the same silk. The hat is wired inside to shape to the head and is trimmed with silk ribbon, a rhinestone ornament and a feather. Gown and hat are available for $230 plus $6 boxed shipping in the US. Email me at nwickman@chartermi.net if interested. Now onto the finished dress as modeled by Jamieshow Liz. The back is really dramatic. And here it is being modeled by Gene.