I LOVE THIS DRESS

So I had this red linen left over from Babes in Toyland, it was used for Little Red Ridding Hoods cape. I didnt know quite what to do with it until I found the pattern for this dress.  The reason being two fold: I had enough yardage for it, and the example on the pattern sleeve was a wool tweed dress.

You might not be able to see it, but this is a very open weave and kind of rough linen in a bright cherry red.  it has a boat neck and deep V back.  Double darts in the high waisted skirt that has a slight A line gives the dress a little swing.  The bodice has an over drape gathered down int he center (I added the brooch where they suggested another bow - that was too much even for me).

What I love so much about this dress is the way it hugs the form! even without fitting it it hugs my size 8 dress form like they were made to go together.  I I am putting this dress on my etsy account today and hope it goes to a good home.

1950's Day Dress

I have been kicking around the fabric for awhile now. It is left over from a production of The Music Man i did many years ago and had bought to much of it. finally knew what I had to do with it when i cam across the patter for a beautiful 1954 day dress.

It is a rayon burnout of swirls, that I layed over white bridal satin. I played with other colors, but thought the white made it pop the most. The dress featured doleman sleeves, with a contrasting cuff. The skirt is the best part however, it has a slim fitting top with a circle bottom flounce. I just know my teacher would have been proud of this - i felled the seams and everything to keep the overlayer from fraying.

The satin collar and cuff i embroidered with a simple stitch on my new machine. . The back of the dress is a great detail: a series of matching buttons that run the length of the back. it really adds a nice period detail i think.

With enough materials left over, I will most likely be making more from this fabric. but we shall see! I am setting up a shop on Etsy.com where i am going to make dresses out of all these great patterns I have and sell them! This dress like the others has been donated to the TDF Costume Collection.

Tommy III

So the last dress I have to share today is the final dancer. Now this girl posed a challenge for me. She was a LOT taller, and bigger then the other girls. While not a BIG girl, she was the sort that obviously played sports. She was BUILT, almost 6 feet tall and very muscular. Not the typical dancer body I am used to dealing with.

I solved this body problem by creating a two piece ensemble that she could move it. Using the same fabric as the other dresses, i created the garment here. The blouse features a basque, and a top gathered over the breasts. The CF buttons are functioning, as well as a side zipper. I thought that would give her enough room to get it over her head, without messing up her hair/makeup

With this I made an A-Line skirt that moved very beautifully on stage. While being tall, I think it served her and the show well.

Sadly I could not get my hands on an appropriate sized dress form, so it looks a little odd here on a size 4...forgive me!

The Who's Tommy - II

Here is the second dress in the set. As told in my previous post, these dresses were constructed for a local HS in the spring of '09. I chose to make them of a matching Poly satin in different colors. Only 3 of the four survived the run, one barely made it to closing night....stupid girl...

This second dress is the orange one. It featured a "wrap around" bodice and skirt that features a cascade down one side. While the dress was made for a dancer, it and the others were all made from vintage patterns of the period. I have collected patterns for years, and love the chance to use a real source material when doing a period show.

The Who's Tommy

This past spring I designed a local HS production of The Who's Tommy.
If you know the show, there is a section during the Overture that involves women swing dancing with soldiers before they are shipped off to WWII. These are three of the four dresses I made for these ladies.

The director wanted them to look cohesive as a unit, while still have individual flare. I was fortunate to find this floral fabric in 4 colors so it was perfect. It is a polyester satin, which i was not all that jazzed about, gut then remembering that it was a HS and they did not have a wardrobe person on staff, I thought this would be better since it would not wrinkle, and at the end of the run it could be washed and not shrink or do weird things.






This is the first dress and a detail of the bodice.
It features 3/4 sleeves and a 4 gore flared skirt. The neckline is cut low, with an insert. I chose to accent it with cream covered buttons and a tiny bit of lace around the front neck edge. (You cant see it very well because the dress form is the same color, but trust me it is there!)