I think it's safe to say that 2022 was the year of the sequins as far as my sewing adventures are concerned.
I finally finished my spangled circle skirt, made a matching top, encrusted a belt with super sparkly stuff, and finished a second top, sans peplum (even if I still haven't gotten around to blogging about it).
There were also a fair amount of novelty prints sprinkled in there for good measure. So as a final post for the year, this project seemed like a good choice.
In fact, a large part of the inspiration behind this dress and bolero was the fact that I thought that applying a metric ton of sequins to the hip drape was a great idea. After snagging the pattern at an estate sale, I left it out on the sewing table for quite some time, just within sight should the right fabric and/or inspiration come along.
Right around that time I was invited to a party with a Tiki theme, and I just knew that the combination of a fabulously kitchy novelty print, and my vintage pattern, plus those gorgeous sequins that I came across at the very same estate sale where said pattern was found would make the perfect outfit for the party. Not to mention that it was an excellent excuse to make myself a new dress.
This project had a mind of its own, and it grew into an entire outfit. The Dorothy Bolero was a perfect coverup, and I knew that I would need to pull in the sequin theme somehow. The obvious solution was the collar.
I am also particularly proud of the fact that I managed to match the print motifs from the bolero to the dress. Because I cut my pattern pieces out of Pellon interfacing, they were somewhat see-through. This allowed me to draw directly onto the bolero pattern pieces while the dress was on the dress form. I then matched those pencil markings with my yardage. It may have be a slightly questionable tactic, but it did the job!
Thankfully, I had enough fabric to make the matches work. With such an oversized print, I was concerned about running out of yardage, but in the end, I had just enough!
I can't quite decide which I prefer . . . with or without the coverup.
But no matter, now I always have both options.
Either way, I love the way this project turned out. And don't think that I am through with sequins . . . I have a feeling they will be sneaking back into my sewing adventures in the New Year.
Everything you make is immaculate and a work of art. Your blog posts are inspiring. Thank you for sharing your garment journeys!
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