It's based on a 1933 reproduction pattern from the Vintage Pattern Lending Library:
This dress features a camisole attached skirt which flares slightly at the side seams. The over-tunic may be made in full length or in a shorter, cut-away style. Cuffs and collar offer two options, one in a deep pleated style, the other with a tightly gathered stand up ruffle. I, of course, chose the ruffled version!
Here's the tunic and the underdress:
The underdress closes with a side zipper. Here I styled it with a belt from my stash and in the warmer summer months it could probably be worn as a dress by itself. It's very comfortable and I like that I can keep this underdress and then make up lots of different tunics to go with it!
The collar was super easy to sew up and I found this velvet curtain much smoother and easier to sew with than the velvet curtain I used a few weeks ago to create my 'Scarlett O'Hara' dress. Plus I have extra fabric left that I definitely want to make into a dress or part of a suit! The cuffs were much harder to sew into place due to the many layers of fabric and such a small wrist opening. I could only sew part of it on the machine and ended up finishing the rest by hand.
The tunic fabric is a very loose weave tweed. I found Claire Shaeffer's Fabric Guide on google books and read her advice on using fusible interfacing on the seam allowances to provide a bit of stability. It worked like a charm (though I wish I had used black interfacing rather than white--not because it shows through but just for aesthetic appeal). I am now going to bind the edges over the interfacing to make it look a bit nicer. That should take care of any fraying!
The tunic just wraps around and is held in place by a belt and several strategically placed snaps. The pattern doesn't actually call for snaps but given that my tunic fabric is quite lightweight and my ruffles are a bit heavier--it was evident I needed a few extra closures
Here's some photos out and about at the Edinburgh Christmas Market:
Look, I'm in a snow globe :)
How sad does the snowman look in the first picture (lol)? I just had to give him a hug to cheer him up! When I met up with Kerry and Kristen a couple of weeks ago, we visited the Edinburgh Christmas market and spied this snowglobe. It's been my mission ever since to take one of my outfit photos in the snowglobe. So I'm really happy that I was able to stop by there last night to take these photos.
One of my favourite things about this outfit is that David said it reminded him of his absolute favourite art nouveau print:
Overall, the tunic dress is very comfortable and I just love how luxurious the velvet ruffles feel!
Phew! That was a bit of sewing this week! David and I are looking forward to enjoying some quite time together with our two kitties for the rest of the month. What are your plans for the remainder of 2011?
David and I are wishing you all a wonderful holiday season!
*'Deco the Halls': a title I borrowed from one of my favourite deco ladies: The Vintage Baronness!
