Second Bridesmaid

 Mrs Mole was right about a five point bustle. Three isn't really doing it.

Five points of attachment snugs this up and our Bridesmaid/Work Pal will be comfortable.

Trust me: it looks like a million bucks on her.

It really has proven to be easier to stitch the hem mark on the dress, by stitching that distance from the existing hem. This stuff is chalk proof.

Stitch. Trim and turn again.

Use the cut off part to make more tubes

I sewed the ends before I cut them.

The tools to insert more tube loops

To get the tubes to be the same exposed length, I pinned them shut vertically and then marked the seam line horizontally with a pin. When I stuck the loop into the open seam, I used the pin as a stop, to line it up with the seam as it would be sewn. I basted them in and machine stitched the entire seam when I had them all basted in. Brain Satisfaction!

Threaded them.

the lacing goes into the center loop from both directions, and can be tied in a bow around the loop.

Confession: it's actually 1/2" shorter on one side. SHHHHHHHHH.

Narrow hem work: I am not sponsored by WAWAK - cool hem marking toy division

I am back on my usual jobs and hobbies. Jobbies?

While looking for matching thread colors, I stumbled on 

I could probably make something like this from the box of scraps I keep in the cave. I have kluged similar, but this makes me deeply happy in a 'put your foot there - boom! process sewing measuring weird job site way.

 https://www.wawak.com/cutting-measuring/marking-chalk-pens/marking-tools/plastic-pants-marker-15/#sku=ta1009

But let's look at the project that brought me to this page

Pal is a bridesmaid in September. Dress needs hemming. Needs to hang out to be hemmed.

Side note: this is a dress that will get worn twice at most. The poly satin isn't nasty, it's cut on grain, but this dress at this length and color isn't going to hang long enough to deform that hem. So letting it hang out is relative overkill. But the dress form can't be adjusted taller, so it needs to be made taller. And let the shirt drape.

Nothing else worked.

After letting it hang for a day, a thing started happening.

One side of the center back skirt seam started puckering (helpful finger pointing it out so you cannot unsee it)(she doesn't read this blog)(it's going to be fine). NO, I am not undoing it as I know I would be unleashing the hounds of off grain hell and you can't put that back. It's not heavy enough satin.

Took that right off the mannequin. 

It was determined that the hem was consistent, so I went with the 'stitch the hem edge' plan. Marked the stitching line from the needle on the arm with blue tape and did my level best to be consistent.

I did double check to see if the curve was consistent with the floor, used the laser* picture framing level and it was a pleasing shape so I moved forward.

Folded almost a quarter inch from the stitching.

Sewed it and trimmed right up to it.

And folded it again on the stitching line.

And it's okay. I did have some tricky hand sewing work getting the lining to match up on the open seam at the side to the other side, and I left the hem open enough to fool around with it to make it hang straight. Putting a weight in it would be overkill.