Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Desperately Seeking Inspiration


Here is the fabric for my gala dress!  It is a silk/wool blend from Paron Fabrics with scattered cherries!!  I asked for four yards at the cutting table, not having a clue what it might become.  It turned out there were only five plus yards left on the bolt, and the cutter gave me the extra yardage for no charge.  What?!  That happened again at Metro Textile . . . no wonder everyone likes to buy fabric in the New York garment district!  (I guess it was meant to be, because four yards would not have been enough for this project.)

The next step was finding a suitable pattern.


I already have a poofy cherry print dress, so my first inclination was to go for something à la the forties, with a long, slim-fitting skirt.  Nothing in my pattern collection was right, though.  I was looking online for days, but nothing jumped out at me.


So I went back to the fabric.  The silk/wool blend has quite a bit of body, so my initial inspiration was just not going to work.  And since cherry prints have a definite fifties vibe, I gave up the fight and decided to listen to the fabric that wants to be a full-skirted dress.



Mrs. Depew Vintage has quite a few reproduction patterns available for download, and I narrowed it down to about six gowns, slept on it, and came back with fresh eyes.  In the end, I could not decided between two of them, so I am using my favorite parts of both designs.  Take that, indecision!


11 comments:

  1. Glamour with a twist of fun. Looking forward to seeing your dress.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, I'm looking forward to seeing this finished! It's looking beautiful so far!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm sure I'm not alone in wondering what incredible fabrics you picked up in the Big Apple. This is gorgeous. Can't wait to see what you do with it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Looks fantastic! I've been checking out your muslin progress on InstaGram. I'm sure it will be gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Both patterns are appropriate for the fabric and soooo you! Can't wait to see end result.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That fabric is sensational!

    ♥ Jessica

    ReplyDelete
  7. A wool/silk blend sounds perfect for a full-skirted dress. This cherry print is really beautiful! Am looking forward to seeing what extra details you come up with!

    ReplyDelete
  8. So fantastic that they threw in the extra yardage, it's gorgeous fabric and I can't wait to see your gala dress in the works.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh, I can't decide what I am looking forward to more: the post about the bodice/skirt join on the second illustration/pattern, or seeing that beautiful cherry print all swanned out! Oooh!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Drape it! Those images of the fabric on your dress form are amazing. Make your dress form to be your size and drape away. Pin and tack and create your own style.

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a beautiful fabric. I love it! It is going to make a gorgeous dress no matter what silhouette you choose.

    ReplyDelete