Finally, the lace dress!

Last week I finished the log awaited light blue lace dress. I have worked out that I started this about 2 years ago! There were several aspects that I had to get my head around because I was lining it. Anyway, now it is done and I wore it yesterday...never mind it really is not an autumn dress!

It has eyelet circles, so after some cogitation, I cut the circles off for the hem in such a way to make it go wavy.
Forgive the creases, I had been sitting most of the morning in church and for an AGM.

UFO or WIP

Perhaps you know the  letters UFO or WIP and what they mean. Un-Finished Object and Work in Progress.
This is my latest. I have had the eyelet lace for a long time. Rescued from someone who didn’t want it.

I started making the dress last Summer, but with one thing and another, put it off. Probably the greatest reason was that I had to get my head round doing the lining and placement of the seams.  the seams. Then it became winter, and I determined to leave it to this summer.
I got the lining and lace put together earlier this summer. Then the delay was the zip and the best order for that.
Finally this week I sorted the zip and got on with binding for the armscyes(armholes) and the neck. I did binding sewn to the front and turned to the back. Today I finished hand stitching the binding to the lining.
Now it needs a good press - especially the seams - and then to the hemming.
Once this is out of the way, I really need to make some winter dresses.

and a slip!

I needed a new slip/petticoat for various reasons including the current one was beginning to tear easily.

So, at the weekend, I found a length of cotton lawn and made a new one. I sewed a weighty cotton lace to the bottom. This is hoping the slip won't creep up to my waist when walking wearing tights. We shall see!

Stitching at Knitting and Stitching

Just a couple photos from going to the Knitting and Stitching Show on Thursday.

One of the first things:
Getting involved with a communal stitching project...based on an idea in the book shown about how girls were judged on the amount of their stitches. This was part of the exhibition by the group Un.Fold.

So, we took 2 pieces of calico and did stitches. Competitive if you wanted. I have never took the time to aim for few and/or even (or even straight!).

They counted the stitches and wrote them on the tag. Well, I counted them and wrote a number, but she said to count the ones on back as well! Ok. So it was 56.

They are going to do something with all of them at some point.

Also:
I found another person working with fishing net techniques! Gail Baxter All under the name of contemporary lace.

  

Now you see 2 makes it not so strange. She was also excited that someone else saw the potential. Only she has discovered further 'stitches' and shapes!

Start with one thread and get a circle by adding some (I need her to tell me how!)

lace trim

Yesterday, hemmed the under layer after hours of trying to get the overlocker set to the 3 thread narrow setting. Actually, this one didn't really need it, but it was easier to trim and overlock at once. Then turned for a narrow hem.

Today stitching the lace trim in the new position and trimming away the excess lace behind.

Then we will be done.

2000! and more of Golden Grace

So, I have just passed my 2000 post! The last month or so I have been rather patchy with posting, but I got there in the end.

I mentioned yesterday that the Gown has a proper name now. Golden Grace. I frantically got back to sewing when I returned last week and was able to get the gown to the point where it would Look like the final product. Took photos and sent them off to be used in the catalogue.

So, a few lace motifs need the netting trimmed away and a few need to be stitched down better. The sleeves are draped and pinned into place and 'just' need stitched in position.
The lining is sewn, but only added at the neck, so I could turn the raw edges to the inside. However, it is pinned into place, rather than edge-stitched, and just sort of hanging inside!

So, now that I have had a breather (not! I have been typing up proposals for workshops and all sorts!) I will get back to the finishings...well, as soon as I get the flags cut for the bull for the Engage! with Art event. And there is the matter of sewing on enough pearls to make it look special.
Oh, and I'd really like to do a bit of quilting on it...and...

Golden Gown - 5

and more pleats for a train

Not sewn at the top yet. But laying over the back of the gown.
A bit of inspiration from Watteau or sack back gowns

Golden gown - 4

Sewn together

Front

getting there

Back

a bit of pleat thing going on

Golden gown - 3

Lace panels sewn in

a complicated angle at hip level.

Golden Gown - 2

Lace covered panels

This is the back mid and side panels

Golden gown

Or that is what I am calling it for now.

Deadline has been moved forward for photos...now due for 15th June. Oh. and I am not available all of next week. Oh. and I hadn't sorted the pattern, let alone cut it out!

So, right out straight the past couple days and I am about finished cutting out. The green bit may not come into it. Sometimes something is an inspiration but then it goes back in the cupboard to inspire something else another day.

I couldn't pattern match to my preference because of the amount of silk I have. So, I am overlaying lace on some of the panels, which will take care of the pattern matching.

Tomorrow I am going to start sewing to see where I get to. If I can get the basic garment done for the little photo going into the brochure, I can then add any embellishments after the photos as long as I keep them subtle. The silk speaks for itself, really.

more subtleties

more subtleties (strange word to spell)

beads on the bolero scalloped hem

and detail of the beads on the scalloped front opening

I am also putting beads on the joins of the patches.

I thought it might be too much, but decided to do some along the seam next to the centre front. Basically, you can hardly see them across the room. So, that is great!

It will be one of those details that make the whole when it is on the stage. There will be hint of sparkle here and there as the model walks along.

One of the things you need to think of with a garment is what it looks like when it moves. And in regular clothing how it works when you sit and do more than just stand and look in the mirror.

Okay back to the garment from the broken internet saga

Thanks so much for all the lovely comments. It is very encouraging!

I went missing due to a broken internet. or a bust up between my computer and the internet or something, because A Certain Young Man and The Thoughtful Man both had internet connections. So, Mr Thoughtful has been on the case and seems to have sorted things.

So, lets see. We were talking about sleeves only being pinned on and one not quite wanting to look like the other.

I stitched the sleeves on by hand, after spending time getting them both to hang similarly. I tacked them in place under the bodice part of the armscye. Then I turned under the edge as I went along stitching them with a sort of pick stitch. Sort of, because I didn't attempt small evenly spaced, just the tiny backspace when I did come to the top. Then afterwards, I went along on the under part of the seam and trimmed away the excess.

But the hem edges of the sleeves were not wanting to resemble one another well. This was because of the angle of the flower motifs in the lace. I tried to trim round the motifs a bit for them to make an interesting edge. But because there is a lot of open space, that left the net ground between looking rather raggedy. Eventually I trimmed them both straight and did a narrow hem.

Yet, not at all as pretty as I would have liked. SO, I decided to try individual motifs arranged over the hem edge.

and that works for me.

I have been playing with the embellishment bit now. Not much accomplished today though, as I started out with a very bad head, so gave up, took a migraine tablet and went back to bed. (moving bedroom furniture in 30 degree C weather yesterday may have had something to do with it...I 'know' I can't do that without the result, but the result doesn't come til the next day, so I forget to stop before I have done the damage.)

Anyway, I will show you some of the trialing and sampling tomorrow. Internet providing, of course!

to the photograph stage

So, on Saturday, I spent most of the day on the gown.

The little bolero was sewn up. Lace scallops were added to the gown and the bottom of the bolero.The scallops were already on the back because I had enough to cut it that way, but I had to add them to the front pieces.

front

back

I hadn't got enough of the scallops to put round the neck of the gown as well as the neck of the bolero. So, I decided to attach the bolero and the gown. Another reason was that with all the quick changing that has to take place for the Fashion show, I didn't want the bolero lost or damaged.

And then I played with a bit of the rest of the lace and came up with 'sleeves'... Actually 'drapes' from the top of the armscye.
The first one worked wonderfully and I started on the other side. But at this stage it was near the end of the day. I wanted to take photos that would be close enough to the finished product to send off before the deadline for their catalogue. I also wanted the background to be the beautiful blue curtains in the community centre(covering a large mirror).

So, photos staged for front and back view so as to see the one sleeve pinned just right.

So, front

and back.

And then it took me several hours when I got home to write the statement!

As you know, I have no problem coming up with words, but trying to trim them to around 50 words "of descriptive text and image - include fabrics, techniques and patterns used." Well.

So, I did go a bit over 50, but not much.

‘Lilac and Lace’
Sandy’s ‘patchwork’ is developed from her own garment design. Each carefully numbered pattern section was cut from taffeta and embroidered satin. Sandwiched pieces edged with zigzag were butted together and joined with a bridging stitch. A friend’s discarded lace fragments are now a graceful bolero topped with a sprinkle of embellishments.

As you can see from what I have told you, the embellishments are still to come. But the photos will not be all that big in the catalogue...and the drama/theatre/surprise will be the sparkle in the darkened room with the spotlights on the gown.

Or that's my story.

And I am looking forward to relaxing my way through July stitching beads and sequins onto the lace and gown. Not an overwhelming amount...just enough for the sparkle on the catwalk look.

I am quite pleased to get it to this point in 2 weeks instead of the month I had planned to have. I sent off the photos and statement late Saturday evening and got confirmation on Sunday. So, yesterday and today I have been getting the sleeves sorted and the lining sewn in.

And figuring out the part of how the model will get in and out of it! At this point, the front in the photo is pinned!

Apologies for the delay

Saturday was a long but productive day. So the next bit of the story has been delayed.

Anyway.
When I was looking for something to make the gown special, I decided to look one more time in the cupboard of shiny/special bits. I thought I had looked at all the purple or pale sea green.
And there was a bag of lace scraps! My friend has an alteration business and these bits came from a prom gown she had made. When the scraps were offered, I knew there would be a reason for them at some point in my life.

And so.

I tried out a few ideas and loved the look of trimming. There was a good length of scallops I could use.

I tried out motifs scattered, but that wasn't it.

So, I laid a length across the back just to see what might happen.
OH yeah! a little bolero.
Too exciting to photograph, I got right onto it.

Do you spot the problem? Not the bit at the shoulder of the front pieces, that was me by-passing several steps, but getting rid of the darts.

The Problem? In trying to be sure I was cutting the lace so that the motifs were going to be on the right level, I ended up cutting 2 fronts!
Oh dear. That was all I had for a big enough piece to cut - or at least if it was not aligned totally differently to the rest.

But I managed to cut it almost the same and patched a bit onto the area under the arm.

So, that is what I was doing late Friday night.
Tune in again tomorrow for more in this story!