Tuesday 5 April 2011

2245 dress or the ongoing dress nirvana quest

In my seemingly never ending quest for dress nirvana (i.e. a comfortable but good looking dress, one that can be worn in everyday life) I made this dress. Seems like it was a really quick dress to make, it took a week from cutting out to final hemming. But I guess the pattern was fresh in my mind from having made the 2245 top recently. I used view A but used the sleeve length and cuff for views B and C.



The back view of the fabric


Back buttons from my stash. Even though they will not be seen by many people I like these little details.




While making the dress I kept thinking this could turn out to be a really strange dress, due to the fabric. I wanted to make this dress in a lightweight denim type fabric but I don't have any spare money this month to go and buy dressmaking fabric so I decided to use up some of my stash, specifically some of the fabric that I brought back from Devon in February. I was also a bit concerned it would look like an over-sized school girl dress.





The fabric was labelled"Liberty" "Country of origin: GDR, 2m 50" It is 100% cotton but has a weave shown best by the back view. This meant after washing it developed a slightly quilted look which disappears with pressing. However at times it seemed I was making a quilted dress which kept me wondering about how the end product would turn out. I had to do careful trimming of seams as they did bulk up a bit, especially in the neckband.



I have been thinking that as the country of origin was GDR this fabric must be pre 1989 and as the measurements are in metric it must be post 1971.

I think this is going to be a good day dress, useful and comfortable with the all important pockets (yay!). You can expect someout and about dress photos soon.

10 comments:

  1. That is gorgeous, well done, Love the fabric and style looks so versatile :)

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  2. that is a gorgeous dress. oh everyone has made nice dresses but me... wah!

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  3. Nice dress! I need to get my finger out and sew a dress this month.

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  4. wow - that dress is gorgeous - i can imagine it looks ace with funky tights and your green boots...or red clogs??????? - love my red clogs...takes a bit of getting used to walking in them while wearing tights!!! having lunch with sarah tomorrow....XXXXXX

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  5. I really love this and I think the texture adds something special to the overall look. I already tried to copy you, but the pattern was sold out.

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  6. O yes! This is definitely a Minnado dress - looks really really lovely (& GREAT pockets for your keys, lego & the odd snack). The buttons are also a gorgeous detail. Looking forward to the "action" shots! (Or to spot interesting unplanned for details in the background!!!)

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  7. Great dress! I love the pockets as well, and the neckline and sleeves. I've got my lisette dress cut out, just need time to sew: ) betcha ill like it better than the up, sigh. But I've got denim and nirvana dresses on my mind too xx

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  8. I have been seeing this pattern pop up everywhere but have not been terribly sold on it until seeing your version =). Those pockets and back buttons look divine!

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  9. Thank you for the kind comments. I am going to venture out in my new dress very soon.

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  10. This looks lovely! I actually bought the pattern after reading about your tunic. I just couldn´t resist those sleeves. Sigh... The fabric looks so great - and it´s got an interesting history too, that´s always good. And I adore the buttons. Such a nice touch!

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