My last knit bundle from http://www.fabricmartfabrics.com/ included this printed mesh knit that looks like the bottom of most of the New England ponds that I have known. For some perverse reason, I just fell in love with the fabric.
It was too sheer to wear on it's own. A previous Fabricmart bundle included a tan knit that was a lovely soft fabric but in a truly unflattering color. It made the perfect lining for the dress. I used a fitted RTW tank top as the basis for the dress. I lay the pond scum fabric out folded in 1/4 the long way. I folded the top in 1/2 and cut around it until hip level, then I just approximated my hip shape and cut accordingly. i used the cut out pond scum dress and the pattern for the lining. I sewed the shoulder seams and side seams of the dress and the lining.
Then I put the lining inside the pond scum dress, serged the two together at the neck and armholes. I then turned those seams and top stitched using a three stepped zig zag. the lining is about 8 inches shorter than the dress.
I have been making lots of simple sheath dresses lately. I realized today why. RTW sheath dresses never fit me. If the bodice is flattering, then the skirt fits like a sausage. If the skirt fits, then the bodice is huge. I'm going on this dress making binge for a couple of reasons.
I'm currently working on a couple of client projects that take a real level of concentration.
For me, garment construction is a nice way to release tension. I am also realizing as i pull out the spring and summer clothing , that these are the garments I was wearing during the whole period around my father's death. Some of those garments are so laden with the sadness of that time, that I would prefer not to wear them.
One of the customs around mourning is not to wear new clothing. One of my sisters and I have discussions about this all the time. we decided that clothing purchased at a second hand store is not new at all. Clothing purchased from an off price store with really old stock, also not new. I decided that if I make it, it is also not technically new, but falls under the category of grief therapy.
What do you think?
Garments made from stash aren't new. It's stash after all and you've had it stored at least for a little while, right? Or, grief therapy works too. ;)
ReplyDeleteCute dress btw. I'm getting more of a impressionist water color feeling from it than pond scum.
If I get any of this fabric in the bundle coming from FM I'll send it to you!
ReplyDeleteI'd say do "whatever works" for grief therapy and mourning. And I'm with you about using clothing sewing for releasing tension, but you are right, only this type of sewing qualifies. I guess I know my perfectionist tendencies well enough to stay away from futzing over tailored type things. I love the freedom of taking an odd fabric and doing something unusual with it. Thanks for sharing your process.