Monday, January 23, 2012

Lace, Lace makes my heart Race

Back in November I went to a wedding and made a dress which I quickly blogged about.  At the time I cut out two dresses with similar themes.  Lace and velvet ribbons.  Swoon.  There is something about this combination that I love love love.  I have recently finished the other dress.  I thought I'd share them both with you, plus a couple of others.
I found this mint green lace in an op shop and the English racing green velvet ribbon at a run down haberdashery and fabric shop at Redcliffe.  I had the same colour green in my stash, it is a cotton, quite a thick one, I think this dress may have to be a wintry one. 
It is made with McCall's 4150 from 1955.  I love how easily this dress came together.  The neck facing was the same piece as the bodice and just had to fold over.  I had to put gussets in the arm and even they were a breeze.  I guess the more often you do them the easier it gets.  The side zip makes this dress a true wiggle dress, I truly had to wiggle it on and off.

McCall's 4150
The dress I wore to the wedding was a style that I had made before, I had to make it quickly as I left the making of the dress to the last minute.  I used a nude lace that I got from the markets, the lady said it was old, but I don't know how old or even how to judge that.  It is really thin.  I found the beautiful baby blue velvet ribbon then found some cotton voile to match.  The combination of voile and thin lace was slippery and I struggled keep them together.  It ended up taking longer to make the blue dress for this reason.
It's made from McCall's 5891 from the 1960.  I omitted the bias binding trim using the voile instead to finish the neck and arm holes nicely, making it a bit posher.  I love the scoop of the back of this dress.

McCall's 5891
I also made this dress for my new sister in a candy pink lace with a nude cotton voile.

I originally cut this pattern out in some fab barkcloth fabric that was curtains at my Nan's house, and have recently finished it, sadly it is too small, but total country chic with a blue gingham bias binding trim.

My blue lace dress was so light that it was a little see through.  A quick dash round the shops to find a slip was disastrous.  They were all synthetic.  I decided it would be faster and cheaper to make one.  Bring in a Fashion Cut Pattern, 3265.  There is no date on this more obscure pattern.  I don't know it's origins either.  I have a few Fashion cut patterns and they are mostly pretty slip/nighties.  I have some flesh coloured voile and some matching lace to whip up this modesty slip.

Fashion Cut Pattern 3265

Phew, I feel like this post has been massive.  I have a bit of bogging to catch up on.  The whipper snappers are back to school today (minus Ginger), so I have more time to blog and sew and organize stuff.
I'll leave you with a snapshot of my bathroom window.  I made these little felt balls for some extra colour.  I love my Avon perfume bottle and check out the crazy flower on the cactus.   It looks and feels like plastic.



3 comments:

  1. Love these dress, such a great pattern. The lace is lovely, I love how its come back into style making it easier to find again too, I just finished making a dress which I appliqued some lace onto and its definitely a new favorite!

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  2. Shizen! I just lost my comment. *sad face*
    anyways - your dresses are really really nice - lace looks so great. It wasn't too hard to make? Do you just treat the two layers like you would underlining?

    I rambled some about making clothes that dont fit too - A skirt I made which I need my cincher to get on. *sob*

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    1. Hey Esz, I am not too practiced in underlining, it's on my to learn list. I treated the 2 layers as one so that the darts and seams would not be visible.
      I am thinking about accumulating all my sewing garments that I haven't worn for various reasons and going to a market, but then I think "too hard and possibly disheartening!"

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