Project Minima:

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

A Very Blush, Raw, Plain, Silk Dress


And I've got the pix to prove it.


 

.
~ ta-dah! ~


I'm standing under the branches of a huge pine tree in the church yard down the street from my house.   Yes, another church, another block away. 




~ with a newly painted really red door ~


It's very old fashioned looking, with its white picket fence, wishing well and fellowship hall.




~ but do let me tell you what I'm wearing ~


I made a dress out of silk dupioni.  I really like the stuff.  It reminds me of linen in that you can wash and dry it and it gets softer and frays so beautifully.  I even left the raveling as it was for the hem of the dress.   I like the wrinkles and the texture and the weight of it.  I was able to get several (I mean several) different colorways at a really good price and I can't wait to sew them all up.

I started out using Tina Givens Mila Dress pattern, making modifications.  No ruffles, no patches, lengthened skirt, removed dip from waistline and raised it to empire, pleated instead of gathered the skirt, no buttons and loops except for the very top one, and no binding/gathering for sleeve hems.



Here's some close-ups of the details:

~ bodice hand-stitched closed with little x's and +'s ~



And I used the silk threads from the fabric to sew them.  The raw bodice edge is zigzag stitched by machine over the pleated skirt section.


Sorry the color isn't accurate on these close-ups and this one is even blurry.  Those photographers, you can't tell them anything...shhhh. 


~ that's how much it frayed naturally from washing and drying ~


You can't really see it here, but I did a machine zigzag around the perimeter to keep it from raveling any further.   Then, using the silk thread from the fabric, I made a stitch and knotted it every few inches to make a sort of scallop along the hem to keep the fringe in check.




~ and finally, the ebay shoes from awhile back ~


Oh, oh.  I have an extra credit photo for those that asked...




~ Albertine and Pao about to take a nap ~

Yep, for all those cat lovers, here's another one.  This was taken immediately after finishing my silk dress and the photo shoot of it.  It was definitely nap time.  Ciao, bay-bee.


But I'll be trotting over to Patti and the Visibles at Not Dead Yet Style before it's too late.  Not to mention Catherine's I Will Wear What I Like and Cherie's Shoe and Tell.

And did you see what Shelley of Forest City Fashionista posted?!   All I can say is WOW!




16 comments:

  1. Albertine, you magnificent creature! So wise, so comfortable. I adore this dress and the silk dupioni (I love writing that word). You look wonderful wearing it. xox

    -Patti
    http://notdeadyetstyle.com

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    1. Yes she is, although I don't know about wise...
      I'm very excited about the new fabric in my repertoire.

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  2. Albertine! Gorgeous beast with a fantastically snooty name!
    that dress is gorgeous, I love that dusky shade of pink on you. xxx

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    1. Well you see, I named the first 2 cats after football players, so my True Love got to name the baby stray we found on the porch on Halloween night. He named her after a character in the Proust novels he was reading at the time.

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  3. Love the dress and shoes,gorgeous colour, Pao! The kitty is super sweet, what a lovely name.

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    1. Such a none color, I luv it. Albertineey. My true love always calls her in a Monty Python kind of voice.

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  4. Hey, thanks for the shout out for my blog post. I have no idea what "silk dupioni" is but I like the sheen and the frayed edges on the dress. Love the regal name of your kitty!

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    1. No, THANK YOU! My goodness what a treat to be listed by you and with royalty to boot.
      Silk dupioni is a plain weave, crisp silk fabric, produced by using fine thread in the warp and uneven thread from two or more entangled cocoons in the weft. cool huh? It creates a luxurious and rough surface.

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  5. That's some mighty fine stitchery there. I love frayed edges. And great idea to put the little scallop effect to hold things together. Beautiful dress and it looks fantastic on you.

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    1. It was kinda fun to go as plain as I could think of with it. Knowing it was silk and all and letting the edges be raw. such a rebel, huh?

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  6. albertine and pao look very cute on the sofa!!!
    but who´s tina givens??? ;-) your version of the dress is totally fab - and the raw edges and washing turned the stuffy silk into something beautiful.......
    xxxxx

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    1. Albertine and pao have spent many a good time like that. It's about time we had it documented. Yes, TG who? I luv what happens to washed silk, at least the dupioni. Haven't tried anything else.

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  7. Oooooooohhhh!!!!!!! Magnificent!! I have a dupioni silk dress I bought years ago that's itching for a refashion. The hand stitching and fraying are brilliant. I've already washed it once and it started to fade in a delicious sort of way but now to fray!!! I've also thrifted some pieces of dupioni (mostly full skirts) and need to pull them out of my stash. Can't wait to see what else you do.

    I love every glimpse of your neighborhood too. Someday I'm getting out of the 'burbs. xoxoxoxo

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    1. Hey Jean, Can't wait to see what you do with your dupionis. I luv what happens after washing and drying them.

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  8. I just love this dress. And what gorgeous fabric. Dupioni is perfect for the raw edges you used. So pretty.

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    1. Gee thanks Coco. I rarely make anything that's not a print, but I enjoyed working with the silk and being plain-ish.

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