It might seem as though I’ve forgotten about my pledge to work my way through the very excellent book Pattern Magic by Nakamichi Tomoko but I haven’t. It’s just that other sewing projects (such as ballgowns) have intervened and new wardrobe requirements have surfaced as the weather has got colder. Lately a few naughty new additions to the fabric stash has meant the door to my laundry cupboard no longer closes without Bessie standing outside, her firm butt and her steel foot preventing an absolute avalanche of fabric… so it was time for me to self-discipline and get back to the to-do list! And I had purchased this fabric ages ago from the cheapie table at my favourite fabric store and it was just sitting there, waiting to be made up into something… anything… Anyhoo, here is my latest effort. I hadn’t got very far into drafting this particular pattern before I realised I was totally going to wear it. Not only was the colour of this fabric close enough to the air force blue I am currently craving for my winter wardrobe, but I think the dress design is so delightfully different from your run-of-the-mill shift dress without being so odd as to attract sideways glances in the supermarket. I think an avant-garde pattern made up with a very plain utilitarian fabric such as this sober blue crepe is a happy partnership that works pretty well, if I say so myself!
I started with the bodice drafted at the first stage of the book. Next step to take a few body measurements enabling you to extend the bodice to get a simple undarted front and back of a shift dress, you then cut out a circle on the side seam and slash the pattern in a sunburst from this circle and fan out the resulting triangular pieces; this is how you achieve the gathered hole at the side seam… hard to explain, but the excellent diagrams in “Pattern Magic” illustrate how to draft the pattern very clearly.
And here is the dress… Different, no? I think my husband was anticipating a bit of flesh exposure happening with this dress, but nooo! … 😉 Plus it’s now definitely too chilly in Perth even for teens to be in their midriff tops!… (Chilly being a relative term here in Perth!)
I just love Japanese sewing books for this reason, their illustrations are so excellent as to make understanding the language not so necessary that you can’t follow the instructions. I’ve recently acquired through a loan from a friend another superb Japanese pattern book that I plan to work through straight after this one. Being totally and completely in Japanese though, including the title and cover page, I am unable to supply the name of my borrowed book until further internet research has been carried out…
Details:
Dress; from Pattern Magic, by Nakamichi Tomoko
Top underneath; Metalicus
Boots; Mina Martini, from Marie Claire
I love the color!
well done! I had my eye on this book last time I was in the Japanese bookstore but decided it was way beyond my capabilities.
WV outtifi
That's really gorgeous! I'm going to have to get my paws on that book. I'm just loving what you're creating from it!
BTW: That blue is gorgeous on you. Keep creating with it!
Wow, what an inventive dress! So, for my understanding, did you slash and spread you achieve a smooth gather? And I am also loving this blue on you.
P.S. Thank you for such a sweet comment on my blog, it really made me smile.
Ahh, genius! I love how the gathering creates shape, defines the waist, makes curves. Lovely! He he about the skin … I would have never thought to wear something under it, it really changes to vibe but it lots of fun.
I love this dress! it looks great xx
Very nice and flattering. Great color, drape, style, everything.
Interesting concept. What fabric is it made of, and do you need to undo the gathers to get in and out? Cound be a successful dress on a hot day!
This is a really interesting dress design! And the color is lovely.
Very nice! I've never seen anything like it. I'd love to see that book, but I don't think I could decipher the patterns! Great job again!
WOW..honestly I think you could wear a burlap dress and you would look amazing, of course I'm not saying this dress is like a burlap dress 🙂 I'm just saying anything you model you look great in, and this is another gorgeous creation and it looks fabulous on you…..
you may like the "Bunka Fashion Series" books of Garment Designs. I bought them all a while back but of course haven't had the time to actually try them out, however reading through them they appear to be pretty amazing!
(I bought them (by phone) from Kinokuniya Bookstore", New York, NY)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hessian_%28cloth%29
I can never seem to bring up the books I want here on the site but if you call the bookstore they always have the Bunka series in stock, there are 4 books right now with possibly a fifth book out,
which I must call and confirm 🙂
http://bookweb.kinokuniya.co.jp/indexohb.cgi?AREA=02
Thanks for your comments!
Krista, yes the pattern is slashed and spread and redrawn to get the added width required for the gather.
Mum, it's made of some sort of synthetic crepe, but isn't as bad as it sounds; it has a nice matte luxe finish. You don't have to undo the gather to get it on and off. The hole provides extra space for your shoulders to squeeze through
The dress is very beautiful, and great color. I already want to make something with that cut out detail by myself.
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