I have several patterns traced and in the queue of stuff-I-have-to-make, but as a first dip of the toes into these books I started with this design, #4 from Drape Drape 2.
My measurements suggested I could make a size M, so I did. My fabric is possibly slightly less stretchy/drapey than would be ideal, resulting in the right sleeve thingy not hanging as gracefully as I would like, but when I'm not standing with arms at an angle to show this, it looks fine! I raised the neckline by about 5cm as I was a bit worried that it would be too low.
Back. It's cut in one piece so those stripes have been manipulated into this direction! The one pattern piece looks like this.
It was very quick to make and is really comfy to wear. Today I'll wear it to work, styled like this. One of my Glowing Sky skirts, and my long drapey cardy (which I loooooove - this cardy is divine to wear and looks great with EVERYTHING!)
When I showed Georgia the T shirt yesterday after I'd finished sewing it, she gave it the teenage seal of approval, and suggested styling it like this for work. My other GS skirt, her black GS shrug and my recently thrifted $8 pink boots.
I'm in trouble. The teenager has OPINIONS.
Speaking of the teenager, I recently made a wedding dress for her intermediate school textiles/food tech teacher. Here it is. Miss M is a stunning 6 ft tall brunette, so the dress doesn't fit my dummy at all well.
Bodice detail. Those lace straps sat perfectly on her shoulders, trust me! Since the straps are purely decorative, the dress is constructed as though it is strapless, with a separate boned corsolette inside which provides all the support. On her it is slightly off the floor. I wish I had taken photos to show the lace borders carefully and painstakingly appliqued by hand onto the upper and lower edges of the bodice.
Anyway, Georgia was in her textiles class the other day, with other girls who had been at intermediate with her, and they were looking at bridal magazines. She casually drops into the conversation "This dress looks a bit like Miss M's wedding dress, but the lace on the bodice comes down a bit further". To which (of course) the response was "How do you know what Miss M's wedding dress looks like?!". Which of course gives Georgia the golden opportunity (probably waited and plotted for for weeks) to nonchalantly say "Oh, my Mum is making her dress. She comes to my house for fittings" Her friends were suitably awestruck and impressed. And Oliver (who is still at the intermediate at which Miss M taught) took a photo of her in the dress (which I took when she picked it up) to school to show his teachers.
Nice to know I can give my kids something to brag about :-)
