introducing Mary

 Scalloped broderie elevates the simple princess silhouette to a charming and timeless heirloom. The Mary dress features demure sleeves and a slight bateau neckline for a classic style that is completely age appropriate.

 The sleeve hems match the skirt and showcase the embroidery. Unlined sleeves are delicate and graceful.

 This dress is lined and underlined in cotton for structure, opacity and durability. A few layers of tulle give the skirt an extra fluff, but the soft cotton lawn lining makes it smooth and comfortable to wear. No itchy legs will distract her on her special day!

 A soft, white satin bow finishes the dress for Communion Day with a gentle shine. The matching satin headband is available as well. This close up best shows the detail in the fabric.

 A quick and easy change of sash and headband completely transforms this dress to a party ready look.

photography: Amanda Hall
dress pattern: Oliver + S

shoes: Zappos

THE dress

A while ago, I found this question posted on one sewing forum or another: “what is your ultimate sewing goal?” I haven’t spent a lot of time here posting about why I sew or what exactly I get out of it, but this question has been in the back of my mind all along, working itself out. I think it’s now time to tackle these big questions. I could give you the popular answers - satisfaction of handwork, antidote to a mass produced world, feminism, positive body image, etc. Those are all good reasons and true for me too. But if I have to really to boil it down, I think I sew for the same reasons I bake, more or less: I bake because I love chocolate cake. I sew because I love dresses. True, I try other things – a strawberry tart here, a really cute pair of tiny shorts there, but the very best thing to bake is chocolate cake. The very best thing to sew is a DRESS. I’m starting to think that I when I deprived myself of a real wedding, I left a great big gaping hole in that place where the dress of a lifetime should happen.

Lately, as I learn to adjust to an aging body that has borne and nursed three children, I have regretted our wedding. Specifically, I am a little sad that our quickie elopement, though romantic, didn’t include one of those pictures of me wearing THE dress, looking forever young and impossibly skinny. How many occasions are there in life to have hair and makeup professionally done and a dress custom made? How many times will you have the motivation to get that skinny? My skinny body is long gone and I really wish there was some a record of it. A beautifully photographed, white, silk enrobed record.

When last spring’s school fundraiser loomed, I got motivated to really drop the last of the baby weight for good and get slim – not skinny like when I was 18 or anything, just healthy. And then to wear a dress that makes me look as skinny as I could, that gives the illusion of a teeny waist. Trouble is, dresses like that don’t fit me off the rack any more. Like most of us, I’m a little thicker at the waist than before and everything is a lot less perky than it once was. The sway of my lower back is now even more pronounced and affects the way even loose tops fit me. My bust line has more volume than it ever did before, so much so that the ready to wear standard B cup no longer fits me either.

Good thing I sew, I guess. But I don’t want to hob nob at a swish cocktail party in anything that looks like a Home Ec project. That’s what my sewing goal is, I guess. I want something well made and well fitted. I wasn’t sure I was quite ready for the challenge. But shopping is just as stressful really, with much less control. After a few attempts to find a dress retail, I took the plunge.

This is Vogue 8409, in an Italian cotton voile underlined with batiste and lined in Bemberg rayon. Read my pattern review here. While working on this, I enrolled in Susan Khalje’s couture dress class on Craftsy. I can’t recommend this class highly enough. I learned ever so much! I was sewing to a deadline with this dress, so I couldn’t employ every couture method, but I now have many more skills at my disposal. What I learned about the philosophy behind couture methods was nothing short of a revelation.

I worked carefully on this, spent a lot of time puzzling out how to make a full bust adjustment on a wrap front, made several good muslins and didn’t take any shortcuts. I hand stitched a lot of this, including the zipper. It was good motivation to shed pounds! I was even able to take the dress in at the last minute. The night of the event last April, I felt pretty confident about it. Only one or two friends at the event knew that I made this, but I received a few compliments, including one from a very stylish Paris- shopping woman. It felt wonderful! I'm not sure this one is my dress of a lifetime, but I feel one step closer to it. And I know this is really where my heart is and has always been: beautiful dresses.

For these great pictures, I’m grateful to my favorite team at George Aubrey Photography.



my favorite things

My darling angel robed in Liberty and tied up with a red satin bow! What else could a mom ask for?

Here is my fourth rendition of the Fairy Tale Dress. As before, this is a wonderful classic pattern that is well drafted with nice finishing details.  Probably many little girls are wearing some version of this dress today. I imagine each one is as unique as its creator, because there are endless possibilities to customize this pattern.

For this fabric, I wanted a more traditional puffy sleeve, so I redrafted the tulip sleeve and finished it with a bracelet cuff.  The collar would have been lost in this busy print without the tiny pop of bias around the edge. I spent a great deal of time and much hand basting to make that collar perfect, but I think the effect was well worth it. It works better here than a fully contrast collar would have.

This time, I went whole hog with the crinoline which gave just the right holiday puff to the skirt. I balanced a slightly less dramatic bow with a separate sash that goes all the way around. I wanted that pop of red in the front too. The sash is held in place by thread loops. This gentler bow is just right for a tiny girl.

Fabric is “Emma and Georgina” Tana lawn from Liberty’s fall 2011 collection. I fell completely for it while I was laid up in bed for a long lonely week and cheered myself up by ordering it all the way from London. The piping and sash are more Robert Kaufman radiance. This is my new favorite fabric! I made myself a blouse as well in this perfect Christmas red.

I used an invisible zipper this go because I couldn’t get a regular one locally and I followed Liesl’s directions to a T. The invisible zip is still a fiddly thing, but her method is very neat and tidy. I found it a little easier than other methods. I finished the zip with a hook tucked into the lining and a tiny thread loop.

Dolly’s dress also includes a crinoline and full lining! Kitty is thrilled that baby doll Chelsea has a matching red bow in back and shows everyone.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas with piles of fabric under the tree!