1930s Not-Jampagne Dress (and Star progress)
Thank all of you SO MUCH for the sympathy, reassurance, and advice on my Jampagne crisis. As suededsilk pointed out, I really had made up my mind by the time I finished writing the post. But affirmation means a lot to me, and you really came through.
As a result, I sewed most of my long weekend and got a lot done on the Star dress. I felt so energized to not have the 1915 hanging over the head! But maybe I overdid it and kind of burnt out on Sunday afternoon. But I now have:
* Organza overskirt construction done (all by hand, including gathering and rolled hem).
* Taffeta underskirt construction done (all but side seams by hand).
* Blue taffeta bodice basic construction done.
- Darts sewn, seams sewn, boning channels and casings sewn.
* Blue taffeta bands seamed together and edges ironed under to trim the underskirt
I also ordered the last bit of organza for the sleeves (which are patterned and will need very little sewing) and flat boning for the bodice.
Oh, and I've officially bled on the project. A tiny pinprick of blood, right on top of one of the taffeta pleats, as I was basting the pleats together. :p
I have musical rehearsal tonight, and I'll try to get a start on sewing the wide blue band to the underskirt. I could have done this in sections with the skirt construction, but I'd rather be able to remove the blue band and use it as a plain, full-length underskirt in the future.
So what's left?
* Cutting blue taffeta bias strips for piping, shoe rosettes, and headdress. Any idea how much bias is needed for shoe rosettes?
* Cutting a "modesty panel" strip for under the lacing. I wasn't going to do this until I saw one on an original.
* Making and applying said piping. Not a big deal!
* Eyelets in the back. That might take longer. I'm much better at piping than at eyelets.
* Cutting, seaming, and sewing in the sleeves.
* Draping the bertha.
* Tucker, rosettes, and headdress.
What do you all use for ballgown lacing? Narrow ribbon? And how much?
I also need to order foil stars and a tucker kit. rvqavalon, tell me again where you got yours?
Now for the not-Jampagne dress!
This one began just as I searched for ideas. I didn't want to MAKE anything happen for this. If it fell together, fine, I'd run with it. Otherwise, I'd wear something else. I didn't want to have to buy a pattern, although I was okay with buying fabric since there's nothing in the stash I wanted to use on this.
And I do want to wear this hat:
First thing I pulled out was this pattern. I've made it a couple years ago, as the "ditzy print dress" (which I don't think I have finished pictures of). That version is cute enough, but I made it with a shorter skirt so it wouldn't be too weird for modern wear. More importantly, it's very simple to put together, sized generously (take note for any of you who haven't tried New York Patterns), and will be all around cool, cute, and comfortable. What more could I ask for? :)
Then I wandered to Reproduction Fabrics to see if anything caught my eye. Criteria: it must be a truly vintage-style pattern, not vintage-esque, and not a color scheme based on cream, gold, or orange. This is me setting High Standards to keep from making something happen in the face of fate.
Well, whaddya know! This one pretty much bowled me over. I found plenty else I liked, but nothing else I loved the way I do this one. I have no idea who made it, and I can't find it anywhere else online, and it was Not Cheap even for a repro print, but I think it's awesome and it's mine. :D
I browsed my Sears Catalog books for inspiration, and decided to make up the New York pattern with white sleeves (they're raglan cut) to be a bit more sporty. And on etsy I found a button and buckle set in yellow that *ought* to match. The bow I'd like to try, though I'm not sure yet what color or material.
I'd like to find gauntlet gloves, but trolling ebay and etsy is only turning up a handful of maybes. I've never bought gloves online. My hands are very long, 7 1/2" fingertip to end of palm, with long slender fingers and a long narrow palm, just over 3" across. Sometimes size 8 is definitely too big; size 7 1/2 can be tolerable. I've never had a pair of gloves that fit me perfectly.
And for a bonus I snagged this. Yes, it is a cream ground, but there were only 1.5 yards left and I figure it'll make a very cute blouse for later. Lady Adventurer with whimsy!
(FWIW, Grandma's Attic fabric online has it in three colorways; it's part of Windham's Sunbonnet Sue collection.)
As a result, I sewed most of my long weekend and got a lot done on the Star dress. I felt so energized to not have the 1915 hanging over the head! But maybe I overdid it and kind of burnt out on Sunday afternoon. But I now have:
* Organza overskirt construction done (all by hand, including gathering and rolled hem).
* Taffeta underskirt construction done (all but side seams by hand).
* Blue taffeta bodice basic construction done.
- Darts sewn, seams sewn, boning channels and casings sewn.
* Blue taffeta bands seamed together and edges ironed under to trim the underskirt
I also ordered the last bit of organza for the sleeves (which are patterned and will need very little sewing) and flat boning for the bodice.
Oh, and I've officially bled on the project. A tiny pinprick of blood, right on top of one of the taffeta pleats, as I was basting the pleats together. :p
I have musical rehearsal tonight, and I'll try to get a start on sewing the wide blue band to the underskirt. I could have done this in sections with the skirt construction, but I'd rather be able to remove the blue band and use it as a plain, full-length underskirt in the future.
So what's left?
* Cutting blue taffeta bias strips for piping, shoe rosettes, and headdress. Any idea how much bias is needed for shoe rosettes?
* Cutting a "modesty panel" strip for under the lacing. I wasn't going to do this until I saw one on an original.
* Making and applying said piping. Not a big deal!
* Eyelets in the back. That might take longer. I'm much better at piping than at eyelets.
* Cutting, seaming, and sewing in the sleeves.
* Draping the bertha.
* Tucker, rosettes, and headdress.
What do you all use for ballgown lacing? Narrow ribbon? And how much?
I also need to order foil stars and a tucker kit. rvqavalon, tell me again where you got yours?
Now for the not-Jampagne dress!
This one began just as I searched for ideas. I didn't want to MAKE anything happen for this. If it fell together, fine, I'd run with it. Otherwise, I'd wear something else. I didn't want to have to buy a pattern, although I was okay with buying fabric since there's nothing in the stash I wanted to use on this.
And I do want to wear this hat:
First thing I pulled out was this pattern. I've made it a couple years ago, as the "ditzy print dress" (which I don't think I have finished pictures of). That version is cute enough, but I made it with a shorter skirt so it wouldn't be too weird for modern wear. More importantly, it's very simple to put together, sized generously (take note for any of you who haven't tried New York Patterns), and will be all around cool, cute, and comfortable. What more could I ask for? :)
Then I wandered to Reproduction Fabrics to see if anything caught my eye. Criteria: it must be a truly vintage-style pattern, not vintage-esque, and not a color scheme based on cream, gold, or orange. This is me setting High Standards to keep from making something happen in the face of fate.
Well, whaddya know! This one pretty much bowled me over. I found plenty else I liked, but nothing else I loved the way I do this one. I have no idea who made it, and I can't find it anywhere else online, and it was Not Cheap even for a repro print, but I think it's awesome and it's mine. :D
I browsed my Sears Catalog books for inspiration, and decided to make up the New York pattern with white sleeves (they're raglan cut) to be a bit more sporty. And on etsy I found a button and buckle set in yellow that *ought* to match. The bow I'd like to try, though I'm not sure yet what color or material.
I'd like to find gauntlet gloves, but trolling ebay and etsy is only turning up a handful of maybes. I've never bought gloves online. My hands are very long, 7 1/2" fingertip to end of palm, with long slender fingers and a long narrow palm, just over 3" across. Sometimes size 8 is definitely too big; size 7 1/2 can be tolerable. I've never had a pair of gloves that fit me perfectly.
And for a bonus I snagged this. Yes, it is a cream ground, but there were only 1.5 yards left and I figure it'll make a very cute blouse for later. Lady Adventurer with whimsy!
(FWIW, Grandma's Attic fabric online has it in three colorways; it's part of Windham's Sunbonnet Sue collection.)