Bubblegum 4 Christmas

The dress is done. She won't get it until the 14th because it goes on the advent calendar, but here are the photos on the mannequin (which is a bit bigger and taller). Silk, silk silk... I always end up with silk. But you know, it's a wondrous fiber, not at all what some people might think. It's strong and durable, can be washed in hot water, takes dye with brilliant results, and of course, it feels like a million bucks :)) I had the good sense this time and ordered in bulk from Dharma Trading- one bolt each of black and white habotai, as well as a bolt of 4.5mm white gauze. I use the gauze for nuno felts, which, btw,  I haven't made in more than a year !!  Oh well.

As you can see I manipulated the fabric as I did with my blouse, only this time I used Jet AB crystal beads.

And the shoes... Aren't they gorgeous? And the color matching went pretty well, if I may say so myself :)

Some details: I made a little bow at the back, using the extended bias. That was a tip from Roberta Carr's book. Hook and loop closure. My label under the ruffle.

Here's the lining being attached, and the finished dress inside out.

Vicky asked if I cut the ruffles on the grain: 

Yes. The sheerness of the gauze worked well this way, and the lace is very light as well. I used a 3-1 gather ratio.

Thank you for your well wishes. I feel a little better today, and having this done was a relief. I'm not sure if I'm ready to go into the black, so to speak, but I probably should. I really need that black dress...

Dreamer. I Am.

Supertramp is one of my favorite bands, and this song gets a lot of airplay... 

And this skirt and all its travails, pretty much sums it up; I dream. A lot. And sometimes it's a long and winding road... But what matters in the end is that I get to the end. If, for nothing else, to start anew.

When this journey began, my plan was quite simplistic. Yes, I did the smocking on the yoke and used dye, but the BWOF skirt was pretty much straight forward. Then mistakes happened, new designs incorporated to 'save' it from the trash can, and the final mistake turned everything on its head:

Seeing the basted pleats on the yoke, it became clear that the yoke color was too blue. Back to dying, this time using thickened water and a lot more dye. So far so good. BUT... after attaching the pleats, trying it on... oh my! Horrifying, beyond repair... The yoke was waaaay too dark, way too neat-o, and super unflattering. See below.

 

It was hard not to panic, not sure how I managed to think clearly. But I tried it on again, this time, inside out... Muuuuch better. The dye was uneven, and the raw seams were right for this skirt. After reversing the zipper insert, I still wasn't satisfied. The blouse color had to be repeated more than just the streaks on the pleats. I cut some bias strips of the habotai lining scraps and ran them over the smocking's joining SA. When the lining was attached,  I decided to keep the uneven hem- both pleats and lining. It's a side of me that comes out now and then- careless, fearless, live now.

If the text is now fixed, it is thanks to Grace, who emailed me the instructions. Thank you Grace!

Dye Oh My- How I Do Love Thee!

Here's the habotai silk lining, dyed with Charcoal Gray, willfully splattered. Check out the sloppy job I did on the French seam lol.

I finished the zipper and attached the insert to the yoke. Both top and bottom need to be stabilized with some hand stitching before I can attached the lining and skirt. I'm just so lazy at the moment, got a cold too. Hopefully I'll get it all done by tomorrow. Want to get started on DD's silver leather jacket. She's so patient- the little one, not the older :-)- it's been months since I made the promise. 

Dyed but not pleated

The dying is done and I'm off to see Warren. The color came out pretty close to what I wanted, certainly has the Bohemian feel to it. 

Here I'm painting the dye on. I put all three layers at once, which turned out to be a hassle due to the relative dense chiffon. I had to separate the layers afterward and fill in the gaps.

Here the smocking is painted. Painting instead of immersing gives that uneven look. I don't know how to express how much I love fiber reactive dye. It's pure magic every time. If you haven't tried it yet, do! Okay, I'm off to the pleater...