The Rope Trick

I have been a little down in the dumps today so I decided to grab a new dress and get started. This dress was donated to me specifically for my quest from a cool little consignment shop. It had a little damage, but it's pretty much an awesome dress. When I got it, it had some makeup marks on the inside and I threw it in the washer, those came out right away. This dress does say Morilee on the tag inside the dress, but I am not aware of the original model. Looking at the style of the dress, and the waist on it, I want to say it's early 2000's but I could be wrong. I know my own wedding dress his similar in cut to this, basque waist used to be the rage.  I am a fan, I think it's pretty. 

So this is it on my model:

There is a tear from the shoulder one more than the other. Looks like bride when hard when she did the YMCA dance. This model is gorgeous and tall, so I only need a 3 inch hem. There is about 12 layers. the very top layer inspired it's name, THE ROPE TRICK, because its got the weirdest trim. Pretty, it looks like a little rope, or cording. I haven't see one of these yet. I had to email my mentor and ask her a about it, and I told her it looks like a "pretty rope" on the hem, she sent back a reply and let me know its called a soutache hem. It's funny how things like this just don't come up in the life I was living.  Now I know what it's called, and what I have to do to fix it. 

Today I fixed the arm tears, then I did a crinoline tuck to the lining to raise it 3 inches, and I cut all the tulle layers to the 3 inch hem. Then I ordered a cording foot for my machine to work on this soutache hem. this is the progress until that comes in the mail it's going back to the bag. 

Onward, and upward.