vintage patterns: silk shell #2 completed!

i love it when a plan comes together.

last time on vintage patterns: silk shell #2, the body pieces and self binding were cut out, and the front was sewn to the back at the sides and shoulders using french seams. in this thrilling conclusion, i inserted the invisible zip and bound all the raw edges. after a quick hem, it was ready for business.

the fabric was fraying so badly that unfinished seams were not an option. even the center back seam allowance needed to be enclosed, which was difficult with the zipper. i thought this would be good practice for binding the visible edges, and it taught me a valuable lesson- my topstitching skills are in the toilet.

to avoid hideously obvious topstitching, i hand tacked the binding to the interior of the neckline, and armholes. it turned out looking clean on the outside and inside. although i prefer the original silk shell, this will see heavy rotation in my summer wardrobe.