When I was made this dress (all the way back in January 2013 now!) I was going for a vintagey Hollywood glamour look. Every girl needs a great go to cocktail dress to throw on for dinner and I was hoping to create something beautiful that I’d love wearing. Even though I’ve worn this dress several times, I still don’t have a pic of me wearing it and therefore I haven’t blogged it. Since Mr Ask snapped me standing next to it while it was on display at the ASG Fringe event, I’m blogging it right now! Please excuse it’s somewhat rumpled state, this dress and my dress form Cece have been on display twice lately and I can’t be bothered to steam it until I wear it again.

I made the lace overlay the same way I made the slip but without the straps. To create the little sleeves, Mummy Ask & I freehand drafted a sort of football shaped pattern with a seam in the centre to shape it while preserving the scalloped edges. After a few tests on scraps, we had our shape! I stitched up the sleeves and Mummy Ask pleated and pinned them directly on to the dress while I was in it. I toyed with sewing diamanté buttons onto the dress directly but wanted to keep things flexible. The embellishments in the pics are earrings modified to brooches.
The lace was a little awkward to work with, especially areas that went thick to thin in the lace but also with layers. The finished scallop edge did make it a fast sew, so much less hemming etc. Unfortunately, the very stretchy, heavy lace grew. Not much in length but in width! I thought it might, so I left it on my dress form for a week before testing fit again. I ended up taking it in three times, removing a total of 6 inches off the side seams! But it fits like a glove now! Once all the alterations were done, I overlocked the side seams for a neat finish. After taking it in so much I was mighty glad I went for an under slip and not a proper lining!
This dress is everything I wanted it to be, elegant, sexy and flattering. I feel like a glamorous starlet in this dress and there is nothing better than that! People are always shocked that I made it from an old petticoat pattern. I love that sewing is your interpretation, sure the pattern is designed to be an undergarment but the right fabric choice can make it a slip, a nightie, a sundress or even an evening dress. I hope you have enjoyed my interpretation. Have you used a pattern to create something other than the intended?

Comment
So true! Interpretation and that’s what makes it so fun