6.04.2014

rippin and strippin


on our weekend dates at the mall, my nan would always say, if you like it, buy 2.  as a teenager i couldn't see the point in having a duplicate pair of jeans or a twin set of floral skirts, even if they were on sale, but now... if mood fabrics is having an online sale and its That Time Of The Month (by which i mean, time for my MSN project), well... IF YOU LIKE IT, BUY 6.


or 4 will do, especially when the yardage is 60 wide.  I LOVE A 60 WIDE.  when i ordered this striped cotton voile, i had no idea what i was going to do with it.  but white-n-black combos were on sale, and i applied nan's golden rule. snagged enough yardage to fearlessly cut and piece and drape till i like what i see, my favorite footloose activity. (apparently i’m not the only squirrel, she’s gone online.)


signs that i am binge watching Game Of Thrones: there are no zips, no snaps, there are only drawstrings.  they made swords, you’d think they could swing a zipper… no matter, these drawstrings are pretty much the most elegant medieval accessory ever: strips of carolina herrera silk chiffon.  oh yeeeeeeah.  she jumped in my cart too (and she's still there).  

i thought the two prints would pair nicely in some sort of paneled way, but the chiffon has a grayer tint against the voile.  however, there’s a delicious high relief twisty strip of bias running the length of the chiffon, so i just ripped a few yards every inch and boom!  designer drawstings, no fray.


teehee!  i get excited looking at the back!  

so, there’s a long chiffon strip encased in the front neckline, and another across the lower back panel. the upper sides are folded under & topstitched, leaving 4 ends to tie up any way you choose, gathering up as much or as little neckline as you like in the process.  as you can see from the top photo, the hemline reacts equally to how you choose to tie & gather (and i probably would have chosen multiple action/reactions for the camera, but mais, the photographer: he must be kept happy, and it was well into cocktail hour at this point.)


but i’m getting ahead of myself.  after creating front and back panels on the crossgrain, i cut two godets on the bias to give it sweep…


and sweep she has!  what she ain’t got: LINING.  what is it with me and voile?  i couldn’t bear to put anything more than skivvies between us.  she just feels so cool.  maybe she’s meant to be worn with a bathing suit.


i do believe the incredible heather lou will be coming to my rescue shortly in that department.  i'm FINALLY diving into the bombshell swimmie as part of the tour for pattern parcel three, the beautiful brainchild of jill & danny dorsey.  (you can click the icon in the sidebar for more info on this awesome venture; which supports the very near-and-dear-to-my-heart relationship of teacher/student.)  

bombshell by the weekeend!!  is it too early to be thinking about the weekend?

this tent was made using my monthly fabric "allowance" as part of the Mood Sewing Network.

34 comments:

  1. Oh you look like the Virgin Mary in picture number 2! it's also a non-alcoholic drink by the way, bet you might prefer a double shot of Bloody Mary...the dress is so cute, comfy and perfect for summer!

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  2. never too early to be thinking about the weekend :-)

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  3. Perfect NYC summer dress, for when it's so sticky that you don't want anything touching you anywhere (except for a few drawstrings)

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  4. Damn it, your post is so good and interesting that I forgot everything around me and not did I only burn my milk, it also boiled over the pot and now my stove is covered in burnt milk. Still worth it.

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  5. BEAUTIFUL! !! You look like an angel.

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  6. The godets are brilliant, I'll have to steal that idea.

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  7. This looks SO perfect for NYC summers!!!

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  8. So cute! looks so light and airy and perfect for summer. I love dresses like this for warmer weather!

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  9. It's never to early to be thinking about the weekend. Ever. And I can't wait to see your Bombshell. I just went out a bought the materials to make one too. I just can't talk looking at everyone elses and not having my own!

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  10. Very pretty and perfect for hot and humid summer days.

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  11. Cute! I really like the back :)

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  12. It reminds me of living in non-air conditioned NYC splendor back in the 80s (when the city really smelled bad). You had to have something like that to keep from melting. That will be perfect for swanning around in the heat while holding a cold G&T to your forehead to ward off the vapors.

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  13. This is STUNNING! I need a dress like this for summer! Any chance of doing a tutorial? Or should I just drape and hope that genius strikes - ha!

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    1. my tutorials seem to get, erm, over complicated... you just need rectangles and triangles and a nice wide width!!

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  14. Oooh, you're all floaty and ethereal and pretty! THIS is THE dress to wear on a humid east coast summer day. I can just see you sashaying around, looking gorgeous, while everyone else is wilting from the heat!

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  15. So swooshy!! It looks lovely on you, and at least you know it can double up as a beach cover up! Oh, and it is never too early to think about the weekend :)

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  16. I love the free flowing, boxy nature of it. That's exactly why I made Vera Aveline. For the hottest days. You're making me want to take out the lining though - I love how the skivvies peek through ever so slightly!

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  17. Love! And so Game of Thronish! A girl must always make an equally impactful entrance and exit. This does both!

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  18. Two quick notes: 1) Just to let you know, I am making your blog and projects required reading for my daughter who can't seem to get excited by anything but leggings and t-shirts. [sigh-groan.] 2) To ask you to please let us know how your experience with "IDT" holds up - I mean after the first blush and excitement of that first evening together. . . no rush, and maybe after there are a few projects completed with it.

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    1. heehee! well thankya ben! i will indeed update on the pfaff, though it's going swimmingly-- ha, especially as i just made a swimsuit using only the IDT!

      and i went through a post-teen all gray & black phase, no kidding.

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  19. Love. looks great for the beach...

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  20. I love how airy & floaty your dress looks! And I'm totally with you on voile/lawn dresses with no linings. I just made my 1st & now I think I need more. #nolinings all summer long!

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  21. This looks so comfy, and still really gorgeous. I can't bear to put anything between me and my voile either, it's just too soft!

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  22. Gorgeous angelic Oona, I do love your photography, your awesome seamstressing skills and of course, the epic geeky references that seem to be in your posts just for me :D

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i thankya truly for taking the time to comment, i love a good conversation-- and hope you know my thanks are always implied, if not always written!