Let’s hope so…
I have something in mind for my first dress of 2020! It’s going to be a 1950’s dress, but would easily work for the 40’s too, if you don’t mind it being a little full in the skirt. (you know me… no skimpy skirts around here!)
I found this fabric back when a store was closing in a nearby town. It’s very sheer and VERY pretty!
It was one of the last pieces I picked up and even though the color isn’t exactly right in my pictures tonight, I’m still going to show it… It’s actually, bright pinks, and fuchsia and dark red… my pictures seem a bit on the orangy side… but it’s not… when I take pictures in the daylight, you’ll see the true colors. This will be for Valentine’s Day, but not your typical hearts dress. I hope you’ll like it.
I drew a quick picture of what I hope to turn it into…
I’m not sure if my (very soft) grosgrain ribbon will be soft enough to fold back when I stitch it on top of the fabric in a few sections. If it doesn’t lay flat enough, I may have to use the micro-check red and white. I’ll probably do the skirt first, so I can see what direction I need to go…
I hope this one comes together quickly so I can make a few more…
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, I remember when you showed that fabric after you first bought it! I thought it was so pretty!!
Yes, you almost need a fairly thin, lightweight ribbon if you are going to fold the ends under and topstitch it in sections as you have planned. Other options might be to make the skirt is sections (lots of extra work, piecing them together, plus the grosgrain might not lay correctly when you try to press the seam open) or maybe make narrow buttonholes and weave the ribbon thru them as you would in eyelet edging.
Will you be pleating the skirt? It kind of looks like it, but I’m not sure.
Looking forward to seeing the finished dress! It’s good to see you sewing again!
I remember you showing that fabric too, when the store closed. I actually like it when a dress isn’t made exactly for one holiday, and can be used at other times. It seems a waste to buy or make a dress that shows pictures on the material, that match the holiday, like hearts for Valentines Day, bunnies for Easter, flags for the 4th of July, since they can’t be worn other times. I will say I do have one though!
I am not sure if this dress is pleated or not, like Charlotte. It is kind of hard to envision the skirt, what you are actually doing with it, at least for me. Do you have a pattern or did you make this up? I love the puffed sleeves! While it looks to be a very simply styled dress, the bold colors of the print will surely dress it up!
Thank you all for the wonderful comments on my dollhouse and dolls, everyone! So glad to see you in the sewing room again, Jeanne!
Since this looks rather orange in the pictures, I thought “Julie” right away. I await additional pictures in better light. ♥️
PS I read the comments on the previous post. Thank you for all your kind words and prayers. If the weather cooperates today she will be moved from the hospital to a nursing home in my parents town.
I remember this from the store closing blog post. Lovely! Have fun with it. Your mixing of prints is always fun to see.
Dear Jeanne, we like it already! Your sewing room says, “Welcome Back!”
I am wondering if you will make a Suffragette outfit this year in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. I am sure that any little dolly would be happy to wear that!
Oh, can’t wait to see this one. Those dainty little puffed sleeves with narrow trim will be so pretty and the decorative skirt too. Congrats on your return to the sewing room. 🙂
I love the fabric and can’t wait to see what it turns into. I’ve been trying to get back into my sewing room to sew since the holidays. Every time I go in there I see one more “corner” I need to clean out and reorganize. And just when I think I’ve nearly run out of “corners” my hubby brings me four new pair of work pants that need hemming and my son brings me the grandkids Karate uniforms to put two big patches on each of them. Both things I’m not fond of doing. I’m going to try to knock them out today so I can clear my schedule for more fun things.
A Suffragette outfit! I love Dorothy in PA and the World’s suggestion. I was curious as to what women were wearing at the time so I did a little research. I found this interesting website vintagedancer.com/1920s. Seems like if Jeanne wants to do this she’ll have choices of what to sew. Evidently the rules for dressing were pretty restrictive back then and people changed clothes several times a day according what they were doing or where they were going. Truly different from today when I see people at the mall in their pjs. It’s still hard to believe that my grandmother was grown, married and a mother before women had the right to vote and that it took nearly 100 years to get it done. My mother was born in 1923 just shortly after ratification. The Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920, so, Jeanne, if you want to make it truly celebratory, you’ve got a few months to plan.
Looking forward to your final decision on what looks to be a lovely dress for Valentine’s, Easter, Spring, Summer or nearly any upcoming occasion.
Can’t wait to see the start. The fabric is so pretty. I remember prints like that when I was a little girl. This will be fun to see the outfit come together.
I remember my mother’s love of fabrics and how exciting it was when she made me a new dress.
The same thing can be said about waiting to see this new dress.
Glad you are feeling up to being in your sewing room. Don’t overdue though.
What could be cuter than that fabric? Love the micro check..could it be piping around the neck and sleeve? The darker trim is cute too and I agree that this dress could be worn for almost any occasion . Add some hearts in her hands and it’s Valentines..or maybe a vintage Valentine reduced in her hand? Cute for Spring /summer.
I’ll bet your sewing machine will need an oiling after the long rest🤪🤪
Enjoy getting back to sewing.
It’s a snowy day here…had to cancel an apt so I better make good use of the day!