I'm finally settling into life in North Carolina after moving in August to begin school. The first semester of my costume production program is largely sewing and pattern-making samples as I re-learn everything I thought that I knew about making clothes, so there isn't much photogenic work to show! Let's catch up on some older projects anyways.
In July I finished my ultramarine 1960's dress, which I've worn twice to formal events and is always a big hit. The color! I don't have any full-length photos of the completed dress, but these will give you an idea. The cocktail-length dress is fully lined and finished with a matching belt. I'm having trouble getting photos to upload to this server (I recently switched to using a tablet full time, and don't have a laptop anymore) but I'll figure it out soon!
The dress with major seams completed, before any finishing work, lining or sleeves
First fitting! I absolutely adore the shape of this dress. The waist felt perfectly snug without any lining, so I let it out 1/2" total after this picture to accommodate and leave space for any shapewear- after all, what is 1962 without a girdle? This picture shows the dress with NO waist support underneath: the silk and flat-lining of cotton broadcloth are enough to nip in my waist and hold structure, even before adding the lining. It looks surprisingly smooth!
Neckline is corded, zipper is in, and sleeves are inserted for good! The only thing missing is the hem, which you can see is thread marked in this picture. I also created a narrow self-fabric belt with a crystal buckle, but haven't photographed that yet (oops! Bad costumer!). This picture is in my combat-sewing setup in the attic guest room, after I was kicked out of the much-more-appropriate dining room. As you can see, there is 1. No natural light, 2. A thick carpet and 3. Dark burgundy details, which all added to a lighting catastrophe and many pins lost to the carpet gods. I guess this is what I get for freeloading in the parents house! Someday I'll have a proper studio.
Here you can truly see the vibrant color, which is especially effective against my pale skin and red hair. This is, outrageously, the only picture of me wearing the completed dress. It was a hot July night, and my date and I were too busy having a wonderful night on the town (champagne and soufflé at an extremely lovely French restaurant in Manhatten with 1960's interiors: perfect!) so I only have this one silly selfie from the train ride in.
When I look back on the glorious years between school, I think I will always remember the feeling of riding New Jersey Transit dressed in my finery, heading into NYC for some adventure. So many amazing evenings with my wonderful friends: I'll miss this silly, glamorous, outrageous time in my life.
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