In a bit of a departure from the muted colours I've been choosing of late, I decided to boldly go bold with pattern and colour and see what happened. This is medium-weight chiffon-type fabric from Textile Traders.
I think I like it.
Actually, I love it!
The pattern is the 'Divine Dinner Dress' by Savage Coco Patterns. Designed as a maxi dress, this pattern was inspired by a gorgeous dress worn by Romy Schneider in the movie 'La Piscine'. It has been drafted and made available to us lucky home sewists by the fabulous Coco. You can download it here for only 99c if you agree to write a review of the pattern. It is currently available in a size M for a 36" bust.
My favourite feature of this pattern is the neckline, which is constructed as one piece with the armhole edgings. I also love the opening in the back. The original pattern has the option of extending this to the lower back, which is heart-stoppingly glamorous, but I decided to make mine in the shorter length in the interests of modesty.
The construction of the neckline piece is a triumph. The instructions have you sewing the inner neckline, then rolling one armhole inside the opposite shoulder to complete each armhole edge. I read this over and over trying to get my head around it. In the end I just did it and, like magic, the piece unrolls to reveal beautifully finished seams. I used a black stretch woven fabric for the neckline.
The neckline is the most difficult part of this dress, but is really not difficult if you follow Coco's tutorial. I used 'Washable Wonder Tape' to finish the inside edge of the neckline, which really helped keep everything in place. Then I hand stitched the inside in place.
The rest of the dress went together very quickly. I made this dress knee-length, rather than a full-length maxi and I took in the side seams quite a bit for a closer fit. At the last minute, I decided to add a sheer, black band to the hem to balance the black of the neckline.
Here it is with a belt.
I made a muslin of this dress with lovely blue knit fabric. Here I am wafting about the house in it. This dress works well in knit and woven fabric. It is also lovely as a maxi or knee length dress or even as a top.
This is the fourth dress I have made with Savage Coco patterns and I love them all. There's nothing like wearing a glamorous movie star dress to make one feel rather fabulous! Thank you to Coco for the opportunity to test this pattern.
My other Savage Coco creations are here:
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24 comments:
ooooh i likey! those bold colours look so great on you. good luck in the competition :)
It's gorgeous! So very striking :)
That dress looks great on you - love the bright colours.
I love this dress! The print and colors are fantastic and the addition of the sheer black band at the hem is perfect. The opening in the back is great too. Great job and good luck in the contest!
Meg,
You have done The Heroine so very proud. Will you now be inviting old flames [note use of plural] over for dinner so they can see what they're missing out on? I say give 'em the cold shoulder - the DDD is the perfect dress to do it in.
I'm running with scissors today. Enjoy!
Savage Coco
PS - I love that color of blue. It likes you too.
Another great addition to the wardrobe. Vibrant colours suit you just as well as natural, earthy ones - how lucky are you?!
I like Coco's idea of inviting old flames for dinner. Would make an interesting post...
Thank you. So pleased you like it :)
That means a lot coming from you - thank you!
Thank you for stopping by. I'm so pleased you like it.
It's such a great pattern. Thank you for the lovely comment :)
It would be such fun to have an evening of old flames, as long as I could slip away easily if things got too heated in the kitchen. Make sure the Heroine is careful with those scissors, she needs to live to create more patterns! Thank you for everything xxx
Gorgeous dress. I love the bright colors with the solid black.
Would it ever, I am so tempted! Thank you for the compliment, although I suspect you can also wear any colour and look fab :)
This is fabulous! I just love the fabric. Well done! I'll be sure to vote for you. :)
Very Nice. I love the bold colors.
The fabric is really fantastic, but the contrast at the neck and arms really frames your face nicely. Lovely pattern - certainly worth sticking those mountains of pages together!
Fantastic. I love the colours. I must admit that sheer fabric scares me!
What, a sewist of your ability!? I think you could make anything :)
Thank you. Yes this was worth every minute. It's a great pattern.
I'm so pleased - thanks!
You are very kind. Thank you!
Excellent, I'm glad you like the combo :)
I don't see you in dresses very often (I suppose as it get warmer I will) so this was a revelation - wow! The colours! The shape! The construction! That neckline is so flattering. And why can you find such lovely fabric at Textile Traders and I can't???
I don't see you in dresses very often (I suppose as it get warmer I will) so this was a revelation - wow! The colours! The shape! The construction! That neckline is so flattering. And why can you find such lovely fabric at Textile Traders and I can't???
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