Last weekend saw a good friend and I off to the ball!Because I am a nerd, the prospect of sewing a gown and attending a ball was far to much excitement to be borne.
Research, fabric shopping and needle-threading ensued, and the satiny yellow gown you see before you was the happy end result.
I was going for a Netherfield-ball-BBC-Pride-and-Prejudice feel, with the v-neck inspired by Jane's gown, and the small floral hair decorations from Lizzy.
The evening was fabulous, with plenty of English Country dancing to be had; we even learned one of the dances they perform in the BBC's Pride and Prejudice (it's the one with the clapping, where Mr. Collins embarrasses Lizzy with his horrid lack of skills).
I have to admit that the dress did not turn out quite as I had envisioned, but it was completed nonetheless (with the attendant challenge of button making and button-hole creating going over in a less-than-favourable manner. All I can say is that hot glue was used, and pins were liberally employed in the final result).
I hope to hone my dress-making skills, and one day be worthy of the purchase of several metres of a good fabric.
Til then, I'll stick with the frustratingly finicky inexpensive satin, and the creative expulsions of fowl language it provokes.
7 comments:
Ohh, I totally love your gown! You look totally regency.
Barbara
Beautifully done! I hear you on the frustration of cheap satin. I once made a dress for a young woman I know out of - her choice, ugh - crepe-backed satin. It was deadly. My sewing room has witnessed a lot of bad language from me, but never so much or so bad as that horrendous dress. It looked good in the end, but I loathed sewing it. Never again.
If you can find dupioni silk affordably, I highly recommend using some. As silk goes it's pretty cheap, but sews up beautifully so you can get really good pay off for your work. I'm a big fan. :)
This is gorgeous, you're so talented! I ALWAYS have issues with button holing. I hate it, beyond all things. That might be an over-dramatization, but it really does push my buttons. Looks like everything came out great, though!
This fills me with glee - so gorgeous!
Oh my goodness, what a stunning dress!! Well done, you! Whatever issues you had with buttonholes (I can only imagine how frustrating that was...my own sewing skillz do not include anything that has to do with buttons) is completely lost to the fact that the gown looks AMAZING on you! And it sounds like you had a ton of fun the night you wore it, too!
If what you're saying is that this is the first dress you've made, then damn girl! It looks fantastic. If you improve from here, you can't help but create some masterpieces.
Just a tip for those who want the look of buttons, but don't want to have to do the fiddly stuff involved. My wedding dress zipped up, but my mom got these strings of buttons attached to kind of a ribbon or something, so they're pre-spaced, and you just sew the ribbon on over the real fastener. And then,on the other side, you attach the included elastic buttonholes –they're little loops of elastic, rather than actual holes, and they're all attached, also appropriately spaced. I tried to find a link to such things, in case my explanation is totally unclear, but I couldn't figure out how to search for them. The point is, they looked great, but caused my mom way less frustration than individual buttons & holes would have.
Wow! My sewing skills are minimal, so I am extra-impressed.
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