dress Archives • Page 2 of 3 • Jessica Smith Creates

January 12, 2015August 19, 2018

New Years Dress… A Little Late

I finally got around to starting, and finishing it, a few weeks before Christmas.

About time! I had already had the project for over 3 years!

Since its been awhile, I’ll recap.

I got this dress from my boss at the costume shop where I worked during college. It had been falling apart for a while, which made it perfect for the zombie thesis it was last in, but not for actual wear as a costume. So my boss gave it to me to play around with.

I ended up taking off the lace top since it was a bit too fragile to stay together on its own, and then let it sit around for forever.

So in December I finally made an approximate pattern for the lace top out of this polyester lace, I sewed it up, and I carefully sewed it to the velvet. At this point it was still very much below knee length, which I never wear, especially in a party context. Instead of cutting off at the bottom, though, I decided to bring the skirt up at the waist, in order to give it a waistline, which i liked, but also to show off the cool detailing of the skirt, which is a subtle seaming of the velvet that might even be too subtle to show in pictures.

It got its first outing on New Year’s Eve when I went to a party for maybe an hour… I stayed up to watch the ball drop though, so I still feel like I’m not a party pooper!

I even got a few compliments, by people who didn’t even know I make clothing, so I count that as a definite win!

October 1, 2014August 19, 2018

Uganda

Out of all of the places that you can choose to study abroad, one of my friends chose Uganda, and had a lovely time in Kampala, the capital city, and toured some of the countries that have been in the news for not-so-great news over the years.

When she got back, she was just as bubbly as ever, but having read her blog of her adventures, it was clear that the experience had changed her deep down, which is really what such and adventure is meant to do.

Our schedules didn’t match up much for that winter break, but the one time we were able to get together she gave me this lovely African wax print cotton fabric that she had picked up there! It’s a gorgeous color and feel and just plain lovely.

I’ve worked with batiks before, when I’m quilting they’re my favorite, but this was different. This was special. What was I going to make?

So I delayed, I waffled, I forgot about it for a while, and I waffled some more.

My mom suggested a suit, like a pencil skirt and jacket. Now that I know more about construction, I know that would likely have been difficult construction-wise, since I would end up wanting a long sleeve jacket, and pencil skirts out of wovens take up fabric because the grainline really does matter… And I don’t like pencil skirts, which counts against this plan too.

I did like the idea of a jacket, and in the future, I may use the scraps to manage that. But in the meantime, I made a dress.

I happened to be muslin-ing a pattern for my Susan costume, and realized that the corset pattern I used for that costume, when actually fitted to my body without the insane ease, had pretty nice lines. So I muslined half the pattern for Susan, which I have not continued working on yet, and the other half for a woven dress.

My methods from this point on grow a bit…sketchy. I managed to get the bodice made up quickly, and even cut out a lining and sewed that up too. Then I started on the skirt. I measured the fabric and it was only 40 inches wide… Which was not anywhere near long enough to make a 3/4 circle skirt, which is definitely my favorite kind. It was barely going to be decent with a full circle skirt (at least in my mind). So I cut out a waistband, which hadn’t been planned. Even with that addition, I’ve still got to wear tap pants, mostly due to the sitting-down factor. I like to sit down, and I especially like the extra insulation of not sitting down and getting my legs and maybe butt stuck to the seats. Just a personal preference.

But the dress is lovely, and I’m so glad I was able to use my special fabric in such a pretty and useable way!

And… pockets.

August 20, 2014August 19, 2018

Simple Staples

Looking at my wardrobe, I realized that there were some items that would be really helpful to fill out the holes. For instance, I had a few casual dresses that just didn’t fit, so I cut them down into shirts. I saved the cut edges, and one of these is coming up in a project. But this leaves a gap or two.

For instance, as much as I don’t like the idea that every woman should have a “little black dress” in their wardrobe, it does come in handy. Especially because for me it’ll fill in the gap between the casual running around dress and the slightly dressy option. So I took some black interlock that I had saved to make a skirt, and I made a dress instead.

What I really needed was a sleeveless dress, one with straps to make it summer appropriate, but because its interlock it’ll still be good for fall and spring. And simple. Something that doesn’t scream special, so I can wear sweaters or jewelry that outshine it without clashing.

So I brought out the trusty bodice block that I made the final Belle dress from and started cutting. I only used one layer for the bodice, keeping it cooler, and I’ve now noticed that the princess seams aren’t perfectly where they should be, and I had to take it in on the sides. Time to draft a new one!

I used a fabric band to finish the neckline, and created a simple waistband. I made up a half circle skirt, and added pockets. Who doesn’t love pockets?

Now I’ve got a question. Do you ever make yourself something that works perfectly with one specific bra? Not that it won’t work with others, but that it is meant for one? Because I placed the straps of this dress specifically to hide this one bra, knowing that I’m too lazy to always wear a strapless bra whenever I wear this dress. And after wearing it a day, I know that the straps need to be taken in!

It’s a super comfy dress, and filling in a wardrobe gap is always a good thing.

June 20, 2014August 19, 2018

Phyllis

The farther I get into making my Susan costume, the more I realize that there are not many easy titles for blog posts… I almost named this one Gastrovascular. Then I realized that was creepy.

It has been a while since I’ve worked on this, but I realized it was high time. Now the undergarments are finished, and I’ll be getting to work on the overdress!

So the fabric is quilting cotton, a white on white floral pattern. I had three yards of fabric, supposedly. In reality it looked more like two yards, and maybe a quarter more. I also have a very bad idea of distances, so it could just be me.

First I cut off the pieces for the waistband and the “sleeves.”

The sleeves I basically just winged, hemming the sides, and then folding over until it felt right. I cut the full length of the fabric in half, so its about 22 in for each side. I know that when I wear it for real, I’m going to have to Topstick or otherwise adhere the sleeves to a proper point on my arm, which I’ll figure out later, when the overdress is finished.

The skirt then used up the rest of the fabric in pleats, though I ran out of pleating room towards the back. I used a technique I learned for stage costuming for the closure. AKA if it’s never gonna be seen, don’t bother with a zipper.

back

So I just made a simple opening, with a skirt hook and eye. That does cause that gappage in the back, though its never gonna be seen, and I’ll be wearing a slip, just like I am here (in case you were wondering…).

Look at that pleating job! But I will have to re-iron all of it. Humph.

So that’s it I guess for Susan’s undergarments!

But I shall leave you with the motifs for Belle’s necklace! So one of these days (meaning hopefully today or tomorrow) I’ll finish that up and soon after will have a blog post on it! Yay for costumey things!

April 7, 2014August 19, 2018

Vintage Lace and Velvet

At long last, ufo 2 has been found and can finally be shown off!

This dress was given to me by my boss when it really began to fall apart.

Someone used it in a short-run production that featured zombies, which made this a perfect dress at the time, but after that it was really unusable as a costume. Once it can’t be washed or dry-cleaned, it loses usability.

I’m not sure whether its a real 20s dress, but I’m pretty sure that’s the era it was supposed to be from.

Alas, I can’t show you it in its complete form, as I tried to work on this dress previous to starting this blog.

But here are the parts of the dress, and what I’ll be using to fix it up.

First up is the main part of the dress, made of a deep, deep blue velvet. It’s a very lightweight velvet, which is soft and nice ad well worn.

Personally, I don’t find this dress flattering.

You see, I have this thing called a stomach, and my stomach likes to be fed, and simultaneously doesn’t like crunches. Trust me, I’m working on talking to it about this.

But I like wide skirts, the twirly effect! This dress is more like a sheath, with a little bit of swing at the bottom.

It also comes too low at the top, when I had tried it on with the original lace top, and it is a very long dress on me.

I’m contemplating options, if you couldn’t tell.

Here is the original top, made of what looks to me like a cotton lace. It had aged to such a lovely yellow-brown color, but I assume the original color was a yellow-beige.

But it nearly fell away as I cut it from its hold on the velvet body. It was ready for relief.

Finally, this is the top I’m planning to use to rework this dress. It’s a very white polyester lace top.

Remember my Belle mock 2? That was the original shirt I was going to use, but I snapped it up for that project when I couldn’t at all find this one. But a recent discovery brought this one back to the light!

I’ll probably not end up working on this for awhile, but I thought it was high time to show it to you guys!

March 10, 2014August 19, 2018

Pink Graduation Dress

Since I’m a big fan of planning ahead, especially when it allows me to procrastinate on projects in life due sooner, I have begun work on my dress for graduation.

See, I’m thinking about doing Me Made May, but I’m also graduating from college in May. So what am I to do but make a dress to wear?

I’ve attended graduation at my college once before, and it was quite warm. Like almost uncomfortable warm.

So it was time to make a nice warm weather dress.

This fabric is special, though.

My mother, when she was a teenager, made her own clothes, but stopped later, as she had continual fights with her sewing machine. But she kept all of her fabric.

Including this lovely polyester georgette pink beauty! So when I raided her stash last year, we both agreed that it would make a lovely sundress.

So in following that, I decided it would make the perfect dress for graduation! A bit of old before I venture on to something new!

I redrafted my strapless bodice, which somehow was still too big when I tried it on! I took in the bodice as I went, leaving plenty in the back for attaching the zipper.

When I had been planning to make a ballroom dress, I had already cut the fabric into two parts, a bodice part, and a skirt part. I made the waistband and attached it to the bodice, then pleated the skirt to the under waistband, then I took the needle to the over waistband.

I put in the zipper by hand, which was an adventure… I didn’t want to cut into the dress fabric, in case I went too far, so I ended up folding over the triangle of fabric.

Then a month went by.

I tacked this extra fabric down, tacked the neckline down instead of figuring out a facing (since I’ve never made a facing), and then doing my version of a rolled hem. I’m not sure if it is the right way to do a rolled hem, but it worked for me.

It turned out better than I had hoped! Having that much fabric in the skirt gives it automatic volume! No petticoat or alternate puffyness needed.

I love the silhouette of this dress, nipped in at the waist and puffy, but still knee length, which is snazzy.

I already picked my shoes out, so I finally have an excuse to wear them! I got them abroad and they’ll be perfect for this!

I am all ready for May, then! Maybe can we just skip forward a month? Just until midterms craziness ends?

January 21, 2014August 19, 2018

Magic is Power

I let you know earlier that I finished my Belle dress. I’m quite proud of it. I’m pretty sure I beamed through the entire first day of wearing it. But I didn’t get to take pictures of it before winter break, so I held off on this post.

Luckily it only took two wearable muslins before I was able to create the real thing!

So the fabric is a performance knit that I got here from eBay in Mustard Gold.

A few months ago, I had shown you this shirt, which I used as the upper part of the dress.

I used the same pattern from my brown dress, with very few alterations. I did accidentally cut the fabric wrong, which is why I have a center front seam, but I don’t mind it!

The skirt currently is knee length, for the winter, but I’m planning to shorten it an inch or two before the con.

I love the short sleeves, and I’m pretty proud of the arm bands. First time making arm bands and everything!

And it’s got a nice big pocket!

There are some fitting issues in the back. Of course, I didn’t see these until I actually took pictures, so now I’m debating with myself over how to fix it.

I had tacked down the excess shirt fabric by hand, after using a decorative stitch to formally attach the shirt. On second thought, it was a good idea to do this, for fitting, but now that I’m looking at it, I’ll be cutting more of it off. The shirt probably won’t unravel, being a kind of knit. But this also gives me some leeway in re-fitting the back. I think the back will fit correctly if I attach the shirt back up a bit higher.

I worked over the break on the embellishments, though now I’m thinking of other ways to do the necklace.

I’m still considering removing the collar from the shirt. It’s looking a bit too Sleeping Beauty for me. Then I can make a real necklace, since it won’t be covered by the collar.

If I decide to not do that, then the designs will be sewn onto the dress.

Decisions, decisions.

December 20, 2013

Getting Back on Track

If nothing else, December so far has been busy.

Busy busy busy.

You may have noticed that I haven’t posted a thing since Thanksgiving…

You may not have. That’s good too.

(I’m going to whine for a bit, just to let you know.)

Being a college senior is tough. Can I mention real life is on the horizon?

I’m trying at all costs to avoid such a thing. I’m applying for graduate schools, and hopefully it’ll work out for me.

Please cross your fingers for me.

But my applications are pretty much in, and that makes me terribly happy.

(I’m now done whining, I think.)

I’m back at home, so I’ve brought a number of projects to do while I’m here, to supplement the ones I’ve already got here.

Here’s all the beads I’ve got, since I’ve tasked myself to make my Belle and Claudia beadwork while I’m home. I also brought home other beading projects, but there’s less of a push for those.

I’ve also got a jacket in the works. Years ago, I got this pattern, along with some dark purple bottomweight from Joann’s, and I think it’s high time to make it up. I’m planning on view F, the vaguely military view. I’ve got this really neat quilting fabric that I’m going to make a lining from, as well as using it for the contrasts. The fabric is pastel – rainbow with gold crackle running around.

link

There were a number of ready to wear items that I’m still planning on fixing up, I just didn’t get to them this summer while I was home. Here’s one, a shirt that is just a little too tight around the arms, so I’m thinking of removing the fabric loop and adding an elastic one.

I had a little war with myself, a few weeks ago, on whether or not to buy the Archer pattern. I told myself that I didn’t need a button up shirt pattern, because I never wear them, especially a long sleeve one. But then I thought, maybe I don’t wear them because I’ve never gotten one that fit. So the second voice one, and I’ve got the pattern cut out. Just need to cut this awesome (and free) fabric, and to sew it all up!

I keep telling myself to finish up my crochet sweater, so that’s on the roster, as well as a sundress out of lovely pink fabric from my mom, and a ballroom dress, and a corset, and maybe a t-shirt, etc. So lots of stuff. We’ll see how far I get!

Hope you all have wonderful holidays, if I don’t talk to you before then! It’s quick approaching the new year!

(real life!)

November 6, 2013August 19, 2018

Belle Mark 2

This is the beginning of a new way of arranging my projects.

My normal lackadaisical method of working projects just wasn’t working for the progress that I wanted to be making.

So I’ve decided to work on one costume set at a time. First Belle, then Susan, then the TARDIS.

This doesn’t mean I won’t be working on other projects as well. But in terms of my long term projects, I’ve got to have a plan…

After the first attempt of this dress, I was a little disheartened. The bodice was too long, the skirt too short, and the entire contraption was just a little too big to be worn on its own.

On my new pattern pieces, I took in the bodice, lowered the point of the neckline, shortened the bodice, widened the waistband, and changed the skirt from a full circle skirt to a 3/4 circle skirt.

My serger is having timing issues, so I borrowed one to quickly put the dress together. Once the pattern pieces were finalized and the pieces cut out, it only took me about a half an hour to put it together. I had cut two pieces of waistband, and pieced them like a casing before attaching them to the bodice and skirt.

I knew I wanted to put the real dress on a pre-made shirt, and I happened to have this lace stretch skirt hanging around. I had planned to use this shirt for a similar purpose on a different project, but it seems that I have misplaced it. So I’ll be using the shirt for this!

The pictures here have the dress pinned onto this shirt, simply because I don’t have the white thread at this moment to sew it together. But I needed to see it all attached to really know how it would end up on the finished product.

I probably won’t show it to you when it’s totally done, since I’ll be much happier with the real dress, otherwise known as Mark 3. I can’t wait to really wear this dress, though. It’s such an improvement over the first that I almost can’t believe it.

And soon I’ll be off to do the final version of the dress. Stay tuned!

October 31, 2013August 19, 2018

Everything’s shiny, Cap’n!

I love my captain!

And my new Kaylee inspired dress!

Both The Patchwork Pirate and Dianne from Dianne’s Costumes and Research have wonderful recreations of Kaylee’s Prairie Harpy dress.

Dianne had found this fabric from Fabric Tales that matches the original very nearly.

But I don’t have that fabric, or the money to obtain it at the steep price.

I do, however, have this fabric! Not perfect, but I think Kaylee would have definitely worn this fabric if she had the chance. It’s playful and colorful enough. Or maybe that’s just me.

And I have a lot of it. It being the same fabric I used for my culottes. And I have some left over still.

It also wrinkles all over the place. It’ll crease just by lightly folding, even without ironing or pressing it.

I draped the bodice on a borrowed dress form, though it seems I’m a bit chestier than then form is.

At that point I didn’t care much about the direction of the grain of the fabric, since I was using scraps for all of it.

Aren’t scraps lovely?

So then I let it sit around awhile as I was thinking on a skirt plan. Or rather, while I was doing that homework and classes thing…

I lined it in the meantime, which brought about it’s own challenges, but worked out well in the end.

And then I got to work on the skirt. I knew it needed to be at least a little bit full, and I knew that my dress needed to be lined.

In the end I cut out a few rectangles and sewed it all up.

And then it was too tight. Pencil skirt tight.

So I unpicked all of that and added another identically sized rectangle, which brought the fullness I had wanted.

Sewed the waistband to the bodice, and tried it on.

At this point I realized that the bodice was big around my actual waist, in order to get it over my head.

Looking at the inspiration photos of Jewel Staite as Kaylee, I saw that she had an attached belt. So I set about making some belt-like strips. I didn’t want to make one that would actually tie around me, as I often find them uncomfortable, so I had them attach with hooks and eyes.

And finally success!

It matches really well with the jacket I made for my Halloween costume, since the blue is mirrored in the dress fabric.

So all in all, a happy Halloween!