Vintage Vogue 2883 - Part 3

Today I made the button holes and handpicked the zip in my Jean Muir dress.  I hadn't at all been looking forward to these two steps as if I messed them up it would be very noticeable.  So I put them off.

Meanwhile the internet came to the rescue with a couple of great tutorials here and here.  I'm always grateful that people put so much effort in to being helpful.

I was still convinced that my attempts were going to be disastrous however a standard lapped zip would look worse and I don't think it would be possible to insert a concealed zip into this dress so I just went for it.

I'm ridiculously pleased when how small and even my stitches are for a first attempt.  I know I'll be able to do it better the next time though.

I practiced the button holes on scraps first and they went fine.

The gaping only happens because Dolly isn't as soft round the middle as me!

The waist band tab tucks in between the zip and the waistband on the other side which seems a bit weird to me but I think that's what its supposed to do (I read the instructions several times).

So against all the odds I think I might be a hand picked zip convert - at least over a standard zip.  I was pleasantly surprised at how sturdy it feels and the method gives you a lot more control over your fabric.  I thought the idea of beading the zip from Threads magazine would look great on an ivory top using black beads.

I feel I'm on the home straight now, all that's left to do is the neck band and the hem - both of which only involve techniques I've used elsewhere in the dress.