Instant Gratification

After a very busy week, I'm still moving ahead with my skirt.  I didn't have quite enough of the polka dot fabric to complete the lining, so I had to return to Mood for more.  Unfortunately, when I got there the entire bolt of my polka dot fabric - the very last bolt of that fabric - was set aside for someone to purchase in its entirety.  Don't tell anyone, but the lovely Mood employees saved the day by letting me snag a few yards.  The whole thing should be finished soon.  In the meantime, I needed a sewing fix - something quick and relatively easy - so I decided on a lace/crochet-like top. 

The fabric I chose was very narrow, so I ended up having to attach two pieces of the lace together in order to have a piece of fabric that was long enough for my pattern.

 

In order to attach the lace I matched up the pieces as perfectly as possible and basted them together.  I then took a matching thread and hand sewed the two layers, following the pattern of the lace along a horizontal line

Once the two layers were sewn together, I clipped off the extra fabric on each side.  This step had to be done very carefully in order to clip as closely as possible to the point where the fabric was attached.  From up close you can see where the two pieces were joined, but from a distance it's barely noticeable.

In the end I'm very happy with the result, and it only took me two days to complete - maybe 10 hours total.  There are some alterations I may still make to the arm holes, which stretched a bit during construction.  Next time I am working with a fabric like this I will make sure to stabilize my neck and arm holes with strips of silk organza prior to cutting out the pattern so they will keep their shape better.