Fun with straps #2

My second dress for my fiance's med school graduation came from a self-drafted pattern that I fully lined and incorporated some fun squiggly straps. I generated the initial pattern for my black dress with white polka dots with the knotted straps (blog post here), which has an A-line skirt. I modified it for this new dress into a pencil skirt, including a back vent. It's not a wiggle skirt (it doesn't taper in at the knees)--it's just a straight pencil skirt.

Back straps

Side view

I used this tutorial to make the back vent. To tell you the truth, I didn't really understand the final steps and may have done it incorrectly. Sorry, my spatial relation skills are sub-par. I might try to get it right with a later pencil skirt, and I'll make my own tutorial for it.

Back vent

Check out my squiggly straps!

I used a stretch cotton blend for both the lining and dress shell. For the lining, I simply made tuck darts instead of sewing them all the way down, and I made the overall lining a little bigger than the outside. I know, that's counterintuitive, but it gives you more wearing ease and keeps the outside from getting overly stretched. I attached the lining to the shell at the hem, and I made two little pleats in the lining since it was wider than the shell.

Zipper from the inside 

Back vent from the inside

As with the last dress for the weekend (Fun with straps #1), I didn't use interfacing. It turned out really well like that, so I'm happy with that decision. I also used an invisible zipper--this one was on the side.

Happy graduation!