Candy Stripes

This is my candy explosion dress.  We went to GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art) in Brisbane last week to check out the 21st Century exhibition again, and my dress just went all too well with Yayoi Kusama's,  Soul Under the Moon installation.

Candy stripes in Soul under the moon

This dress is made using Simplicity 7715 from 1970.  The cover states this is a Designer Fashion, but lists no names.  It is also a New Sizing, for narrow shoulders.  This suits my shape, as I always have to alter the shoulders and back.

Front view

Back View

Simplicity 7715

I love my new front wrap stripey dress, but it has an overwhelming issue that needs to be fixed.  The hem is just not flat.  I was hoping that a wash and an iron would fix it, but it did not.   Dag nab it.  Where I failed with this dress was in the lining.  I used a pink fabric that was in my stash, and it was heavier than the stripey fabric and they didn't fall in the same way.  Also, I initially thought I could make this dress reversible, but it was totally doing my head in trying to figure out how to do that.   I attached the lining at the neck and down both the left and right sides, then gave up.  I used facing on the armholes and totally bodged up the hem.

I really like this dress however and next time, because I am planning the next time, I will follow the instructions to a tee.  I have a wedding coming up next spring. The next dress will be in a sparkly baby blue vintage fabric that I scored at the markets for a steal and I will splurge and buy vintage beading that I have spotted at a bead and trimming shop for $22 a metre.  Eek.  It will still work out to be a super bargain frock.

I know of a fabric shop in Redcliffe that is overflowing with vintage finds if you can be bothered to dig through the mammoth mess.  They have many rows of trimmings that was making me giddy.  In the end I only bought 2 different types as I had no real plan on how I wanted to use them and I could not stop thinking about the beaded trimming I had already seen at a South Brisbane Trimming and Bead shop.  I did buy my boy/girl Ginger an adorable pair of 1970's school shorts made by King Gee and a old school bonds T-shirt in a dirty green.

Gi Gi in her King Gees

overwhelming selection of trims

Oh and here is the last circle skirt I made for a girl friend's dancing queen.  Fully loaded with a purple fluffer skirt too.  Loves.  I may need to plan a Rock'n'Roll party for all these well dress bobby sockers.

Cat applique

Fluffer