Redesigning Stereotype
A woman who has embraced her independence and spun herself a life. She is a jet-setting trendsetter with a closet that is the envy of all.
Redesigning Stereotype
A woman who has embraced her independence and spun herself a life. She is a jet-setting trendsetter with a closet that is the envy of all.
I figured I should give you the construction details before I hit the one year anniversary of LBD 2.
I started out with watching the movie and taking a look at the dress that Andy drew.
Then I drew my own version. I already had some fabric in mind. A co-worker gave me some embroidered silk organza and my mom had passed on some heavy satin from some old lady’s fabric stash.
Next I hunted down a few patterns (why reinvent the wheel?)
McCalls 3225 for the halter, and Butterick 6057 for the over dress.
The construction went rather quickly, even though I don’t like sewing satins and sheer fabrics.
And now for construction vs. the judges results.
Judges: neck tie should be cut on bias for draping- in contrast to stiff over dress
me: The entire under dress, including the tie, was cut on the bias.
Judges: no back zipper, change to side for back continuity.
me: I thought about the back vs. side zipper. The issue was the fabric. There is less tension on the back zipper. I knew that a side zipper would have led to the organza shredding.
If I were to name the inspiration behind learning how to sew it would be Molly Ringwald’s character in Pretty in Pink. For the last few years I have debated hosting a design challenge that involved turning two prom dresses into one wearable garment. Hopefully I will get something together in time for prom this year (or someone will read this and make it happen).
After last year’s harsh judging, I wasn’t sure if I would participate in the Little Black Dress Contest. With the recent passing of John Hughes, I decided that there was no time like the present to design the dress that Andy should have worn to prom (instead of that sack dress she ended up in). There was nothing wrong with creating a dress with both a v-neck and a halter. It just needed some darts or something to make it less frumpy.
Instead of 2 dresses becoming one dress I have made 2 dresses that are worn together. The overdress is made of embroidered silk (that was donated by a co-worker) and trimmed with satin. The halter top slip is made of satin (donated by a little old lady).
Stay tuned for more on the event and the details on how the dress was made.
-j
I finally got around to making the dress that I designed for the LBD contest. After all was said and done, I had planned to use some red rayon fabric that looks like shantung silk. Eight months later I finally got around to it. Sorry for the blurry pic. I will pull out the digital camera later.
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spinster n.
The word spinster came into common use during the early 19th century when the task of spinning cloth had been pushed onto unmarried women as a way to earn their keep in the home.
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Spinsta Spinster
Contemporary use of the word conjures up a mental image of an independent a childless,stylish frumpy, middle-aged woman who is a jet-setting, trendsetter somewhat depressed, and is an inspiration to other women longing to be like other "normal" women.
