Girl's Smocked Dress Sew-Along #10: The completed project

Here it is: the big reveal! After nine sessions and a veritable carnival of techniques applied to this thing -- from the idiosyncratic Burda pattern method, to the honeycomb smocking style, to a handmade loop closure -- we're ready to step back and take a gander at what we accomplished.

Here it is!

Wait, what's that turquoise embroidery around the neckline, you may ask. It's a little somethin-somethin to tie it all together.
You know how sometimes, despite all your best sketching and brain-picturing efforts, the final garment just doesn't look right? This one was a little plain. I know: fuchsia zebra print and bright turquoise smocking are hardly the purview of a shrinking violet. Plain? Ha! But no, really, it was.

Three daisies, embroidered at the last minute because, honestly, they were needed.

The centerpiece is three daisies, using the tutorial at Sarah's Hand Embroidery (Lazy Daisy). To avoid looking too "matchy-matchy" (as the cool kids on Project Runway used to say), the center-most daisy uses a thread that's slightly lighter and less saturated than the outer daisies. This adds dimension and subtle visual interest.

Wheatear stitch embroidery up the side.

For the side, I used the same lighter & less saturated thread to form a Wheatear Stitch, another technique picked up from Sarah's Hand Embroidery (Wheatear).

As you have surely devised by now, these are not the most precise embroidery stitches in the galaxy, so it's a good thing we picked a laid-back rustic flannel to be our canvas. The whole thing is more "boho" than "christening gown," and these non-uniform stitches fit right in.

This is the pic you came here to see. Right here, this one, the big picture.

The curved embroidery at the neckline echoes the decorative stitching on the pockets.

Back: custom-made button loop closure, decorative topstitching, and gathered skirt.

Inside front: everything's sealed up and fray-proof.

On the inside, rayon seam binding encases every raw edge. The generous hem is blind-stitched, while the reverse side of the lazy daisy embroidery takes on a star-like shape.

Inside back: loop closure and the reverse side of the decorative topstitching.

I'm glad we were meticulous about the seam binding and hemming. You could almost wear this thing inside out.

Ready for packaging.

And now, like a hometown gal saying goodbye to her fella as he ships off on a train, I take some final photos before folding it neatly and placing it in a gift bag. It is headed to a vivacious 5-year-old at her birthday party. Made with love.

How about you? Have you made it this far? Got any finished garments to show off? Post them in the comments. I'm proud of you, and I'm so glad we were together on this journey.