Recreating the Dior Dress, Part 3: Let's Tackle "Sleevils!"

It has been a long stretch since I posted part 2 of this series on reproducing the 1957 Dior dress, but this has been a year where our family bought a vintage house, we did some restoration work, I set up as a vendor at the Jane Austen Festival in Louisville, then traveled overseas three times (including a trip for my eldest son's wedding to his South African sweetheart!), and attended the December JASNA workshops and ball in Kentucky. Whew! I'm really looking forward to our winter school holiday so I can finish my posts about this dress, polish off writing about the 2019 Europe tour over on that blog, then tackle some other projects that have been waiting in the wings.

So, to move along with my Dior remake, I've put together a video that shows how I "married" the fitted 3/4-length sleeve of my Ladies' Classic 1950s Wardrobe pattern to the bodice from the Girls' Classic Shirt Dress pattern. It is a very simple, easy modification to make, so don't be nervous if you are keen to try it! The results are wonderful, and I couldn't be more pleased with the final fit, which is flattering and comfortable.

The photo at the top shows the bodice with the sleeves sewn in. They went in smoothly and perfectly on the first try, and I show you how in the video below (originally shared in my Instagram Stories). Enjoy! Next time I will show how I cartridge-pleated the skirt to the bodice for maximum fullness and faced the hem. In my final post, I will have a big reveal video, shot in the same location in Paris as the original 1957 Dior dress!