Pale Pink Orchids

Sometimes a plan takes some time to come together.

When I designed this fabric, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.  I love the skirt from Vogue 4203 and wanted to pair it with Vogue 8701 to see how they would work together - I suspected things would go swimmingly!

So I carefully cut out my precious self-designed fabric.

When I ordered my yardage, I mis-remembered how much fabric the skirt requires.

My mistake meant that I had enough fabric left to make a matching jacket for my dress.  Love it!

I have been meaning to make another version of Vogue 9082 for years, and this was the perfect opportunity.

I thought the outfit deserved something extra, so I made a fascinator out of a length of petersham ribbon and some Russian veiling that I had stashed away.

I really love how this outfit turned out!

And I don't promise that I am done with this skirt pattern, either.  The only question is, which bodice to try next!

Dress:  Made by me, Vogue 4203 / Vogue 8701
Jacket:  Made by me, Vogue 9082
Belt:  Made by me
Fascinator:  Made by me
Earrings:  Vintage
Shoes:  Remix "Babydoll"

[Disclosure:  My Fabric Designs provided me with a coupon code which was used to purchase this fabric, but the opinions posted here are my own.]

The Matching Jacket

After cutting out my orchid dress, there was enough fabric left over for another garment.  My first thought was a matching jacket.

And the first one that came to mind was Vogue 9082.

I underlined the entire garment for added body.

The two layers get basted together, and I like to stitch just inside all darts to keep the two layers together during construction.  Because the stitches are within the dart legs, there is no need to remove them later.

Having made this jacket before, I was familiar with the construction, and everything went together easily.

I went with bound buttonholes, and added a piece of fusible interfacing at the opening for added stability.

I tend to use my dress form as a hanger while working on multiple projects.  It keeps me from cutting into something I shouldn't with a sewing table full of fabric - which happens to be my recurring sewing nightmare.  When this jacket went on the form, I rather liked the contrasting collar.  Not enough to go in that direction for this particular project, but I may play around with it in the future.

Ironically, I had to piece the collar facing because of the limited yardage.  Looking at these pictures, I probably should have placed that seam so I could use it to make an in-seam buttonhole for the facing, but I didn't think of it while I was cutting.

But the buttonholes turned out great, so I really can't complain.

A little catch-stitching along the hemline . . .

and a bit of hand sewing on the lining . . .

and I have a jacket to match my new dress.

[Disclosure:  My Fabric Designs provided me with a coupon code which was used to purchase this fabric, but the opinions posted here are my own.]

Home Grown Orchids

It has taken far too long to make my orchid dress.  

Almost two years ago, I designed this orchid print.  My Fabric Designs reproduced the print on fabric thanks to the crazy world of digital printing that we have available to us today.  

As you can see, the color is not quite as bright on the fabric as the original design was on my computer screen.  That may have something to do with my fabric choice, which was the basic combed cotton yardage.  There can be a significant difference in color depending on the fabric content and weave.  It also probably has a bit to do with my computer screen as well.  The fabric itself is a little papery feeling which I do not get with the unprinted fabric swatch from the company - I suspect it has something to do with the dye itself.  It is not something that would dissuade me from using the fabric, just a little unexpected.  Actually, the crispness of the textile lends itself well to the structured silhouette I had planned for the textile.  Their cotton sateen, on the other hand, has a lot of drape, even when printed.

With so many pieces of fabric, I hem and haw over what to make with them.  For this one, I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I ordered the yardage from My Fabric Designs.  

The bodice of Vogue 8701 was something I wanted to use again as soon as I had completed this dress.

But this time around, I thought it would be fun to use the skirt pieces from Vogue 4203 to give the finished dress a slightly different silhouette than the original.

Part of the skirt poof comes from an added piece of cotton that acts as interfacing along the hipline and is treated as a single layer when it comes to darts, pleats, and gathers.  I borrowed the idea from a vintage 1950s pattern I made up many years ago.  I previously used a Pellon interfacing which worked quite well, but a single layer of mid-weight cotton is almost as good.

I went with a hand applied lapped zipper, and also added lingerie guards to each shoulder.  The bodice sits rather far out on the shoulder (which I love because it helps to balance a full hip!) so this keeps bra straps from peeking out.

I debated about adding a belt or not.  In the end, I applied a length of petersham ribbon over self fabric to have the option.

All the better to match a birdcage veil I made to wear with the dress!

[Disclosure:  My Fabric Designs provided me with a coupon code which was used to purchase this fabric, but the opinions posted here are my own.]

A Floral Set

This floral print is one of the designs that I came up with for printing using My Fabric Designs print-on-demand services.  

My original intention was to make a full skirt as well as a contrasting blouse in a lighter weight fabric with a smaller scale version of the print.

I ended up with three yards of the heavy cotton twill that was my textile choice.  

The pattern I pulled out for the skirt was Butterick 6285.  I have made this design before, and actually have a third version hanging up on the back of my sewing room door along with the knit top included with the pattern that I will start wearing as soon as the weather cools down a bit.  I am slightly obsessed with the design and thank goodness the skirt requires a cross grain layout or I would probably be making myself another.

Because of the yardage requirements of My Fabric Designs (no half or quarter cuts are available), I ended up with a little too much yardage.  It was a squeeze, but I managed to cut out a matching top with the remaining bits.  I pulled out a few pattern possibilities, and Advance 8751 was the only one that I could get to fit.  In the end, I think it turned out to be the perfect choice, so hooray for challenging cutting layouts.  

Who else loves getting an extra garment out of leftover fabric?  Now I just need to figure out what to do with all those just under a yard leftovers that are taking up a ton of space . . .

Top:  Made by me, Advance 8751

Skirt:  Made by me, Butterick 6285

Shoes:  Banana Republic

Earrings: Gift

[Disclosure:  My Fabric Designs provided me with a coupon code which was used to purchase this fabric, but the opinions posted here are my own.]

A rose by any other name . . .

It has been a long journey . . . but my first self-drafted dress is complete, and I have the pictures to prove it!

I am pretty darn proud of this one!  It feels completely mine (with a bit of inspiration from Mr. Dior, of course).

I was even able to design and print the fabric with the help of My Fabric Designs.

I finally put my dress form to good use and draped the bodice and skirt, made myself a corselette from cotton bobbinet, and put together the largest petticoat I have ever made!  I also managed to make a little hat to top off the look at the very last minute.  

That petticoat is so fluffy, in fact, that I just managed to fit in my car!

And while the dress might not be very practical in a lot of situations, I love it just the same.

I had quite a few lovely comments the day I wore this dress.

In fact, one gentleman called out "1956" as he was walking by.  Incredibly enough, this is the very year that the Rose de France dress was designed.  I guess I got it right!

Thankfully, the weather played nice, and outerwear was not needed.  But come to think of it, a coat with an oversized shawl collar, three-quarter sleeves, and a whole lot of fabric with this print used as a lining might have to happen at some point!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my dress!

Dress & Sash:  Made by me, self drafted

Petticoat:  Made by me

Corselette:  Made by me, Simplicity 1183

Hat:  Made by me

Necklace:  Grandmother’s, borrowed from Mom

Shoes:  Blue by Betsy Johnson "Stela"

[Disclosure:  My Fabric Designs provided me with a coupon code which was used to purchase a portion of this fabric, but the opinions posted here are my own.]