sleeves continued....(part one in case you missed it). I added organza ruffles to the bottom edge, then embellished that bottom edge with these flower sequins that everything gets caught on but look super cute.
now. these sleeves are very fitted and extend over the hand, so to get them cinched at the wrist there is a zipper sewn upside down from cuff to elbow. that isn't very magical is it??
I covered twill tape with taffeta and trimmed it with the selvage of the lace so the color would match. then it was whipped edge to edge along one side (which does not require seam allowance but does require both edges to be independently finished.)
now you can see how it looks when pressed flat over the zipper teeth (bottom left) compared to no placket at all (top left).
I can hear your skepticism from here but stay with me ok. because as you can see I covered it with bits of lace I fussy cut out and it looks much better (right).
I sewed the edges of the lace to the placket then continued the beading pattern overtop of it so it would better blend in.
now that is an improvement if I do say so myself (and I do.)
and the other side looks pretty cute too!
now for those of you who are wondering: "why didn't you use an invisible zip?" I don't find they zip particularly smoothly when installed in thicker fabrics which this corded lace absolutely qualifies as.
and for the other other person who is wondering: "why didn't you lap the seam allowance over it or sew closer to the teeth?"
the corded lace is thick and I didn't want it doubled over, I thought it would look clunky. I also don't like sewing super close to the teeth when working with mesh or lace because it is prone to catching in them. and since I like the sturdiness of metal teethed zippers, when things catch, they get bitten. 😉
