For the January dress I took up a challenge over at The Sew Weekly that involved brocade. For a little while, I was front page news. Scoop!
Read all about it here, or go to the source.
"Go for Brocade" Dress. An Adaptation.
A personal goal of mine is to try (I mean really try) to dive into my fabric stash and use what I’ve got. Years ago someone sent me a rather large brown metallic brocade 1960s dress. At some point I cut the dress down to a skirt, which I then never wore. That skirt was then packed away with my collection of fabric. My adaption of the “Go For Brocade” Dress finally put that dress/skirt/fabric to use. As the original dress had a straight skirt on it, there was nowhere near enough fabric to do the whole project in brocade. I opted to do the bodice in the brocade and add a solid colored skirt.
Read all about it here, or go to the source.
"Go for Brocade" Dress. An Adaptation.
A personal goal of mine is to try (I mean really try) to dive into my fabric stash and use what I’ve got. Years ago someone sent me a rather large brown metallic brocade 1960s dress. At some point I cut the dress down to a skirt, which I then never wore. That skirt was then packed away with my collection of fabric. My adaption of the “Go For Brocade” Dress finally put that dress/skirt/fabric to use. As the original dress had a straight skirt on it, there was nowhere near enough fabric to do the whole project in brocade. I opted to do the bodice in the brocade and add a solid colored skirt.
Fabric: Brocade (that used to be a too-big 1960′s dress) on top, Double Georgette for the skirt, and satin for the lining.
Pattern: None. I searched my collection of patterns (which I am also trying to put to good use) and couldn’t find a single one with princess seams on the bodice. Not too surprising, though, as I tend to have trouble fitting princess seams. Rather than taking the time to draft something from scratch, I used the bodice of a dress I had recently taken apart (upcycle!) as a guide. As expected, I had to make some modifications. Surely I am not the only person whose chest has issues with this cut. Surely.
Year: Bodice fabric – 1960′s/Style late 1950′s/”Pattern”- 1990′s
Notions: Zipper and rust colored satin piping which was salvaged from the original dress.
Time to complete: About 10 hours (including picking apart the “original”) (oh and I was watching a movie while doing the hand stitching, so . . .).
First worn: Today. Just to snap some quick photos.
Wear again? The next time I have a fancy event and the mood strikes me . . . yes. Although, I can’t say I am completely sold on this dress. Maybe it’s the color – too much brown? Maybe it’s the cut – is the skirt too full? I’m on the fence with this one.
Total price: Double Georgette – $11.98/Satin – $9.98/Zipper – $1.26/Thread $2.65 for a grand total of $25.87.
Pattern: None. I searched my collection of patterns (which I am also trying to put to good use) and couldn’t find a single one with princess seams on the bodice. Not too surprising, though, as I tend to have trouble fitting princess seams. Rather than taking the time to draft something from scratch, I used the bodice of a dress I had recently taken apart (upcycle!) as a guide. As expected, I had to make some modifications. Surely I am not the only person whose chest has issues with this cut. Surely.
Year: Bodice fabric – 1960′s/Style late 1950′s/”Pattern”- 1990′s
Notions: Zipper and rust colored satin piping which was salvaged from the original dress.
Time to complete: About 10 hours (including picking apart the “original”) (oh and I was watching a movie while doing the hand stitching, so . . .).
First worn: Today. Just to snap some quick photos.
Wear again? The next time I have a fancy event and the mood strikes me . . . yes. Although, I can’t say I am completely sold on this dress. Maybe it’s the color – too much brown? Maybe it’s the cut – is the skirt too full? I’m on the fence with this one.
Total price: Double Georgette – $11.98/Satin – $9.98/Zipper – $1.26/Thread $2.65 for a grand total of $25.87.
I am such a sucker for fitted bodices matched with full skirts, but I am coming to terms with the fact that it is just time for a more grown-up (and slimming) go-to style. More wiggle dresses in 2012! Alas. A wiggle dress would not have worked for this project. So, if I were to tweak this dress and still keep the silhouette and style of “Go for Brocade” I would probably have made the neckline just a tad deeper. I also would have done something more interesting with the back. You can’t see it, but it’s just real high and real snoozy. (But effectively guards against drafts and sunburns.) I do like the vintage brocade very much. I will have to keep my eyes peeled for vintage dresses for the purpose of re-purposing. I mean, after I use all the fabric in my stash, of course.
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