So I’m back, in full force! From not having anything made in a long time, to getting shockingly lazy at actually photographing anything, there has been no new garment posts in over six months… I’ll try not let it slide for this long again. Now that I have regained my weekend time (thank you college) I have started a new tradition of becoming intensely inspired on Saturday night to wear/ make/ have something for my next week of classes. This leads to Sunday morning becoming a frenzy either at my sewing machine, ultra professional cutting desk (aka the kitchen table) or on my bed room floor, casually stroking my fabrics. So far the results have been good, and surprisingly wearable, considering the often “high fashion” inspirations and “speed is key” production methods. Here is one of my first offerings. A bias cut slip dress.
So where did this idea come from… Well I’ve been curious about bias-cut clothing for a small time now, wondering how it might look sewn up, if it was really going to be some new sewing challenge (spoiler, it’s super easy) and would I actually wear something that has the decadent tag of “on the bias”. I do wear this, a lot, it probably needs a wash by now as I’m pretty sure some of the curry that I made last week is hidden somewhere. The real trick with bias is that it stretches, which means that it’s surprisingly comfortable to wear and the fit is flattering, flowing nicely where you want it to flow, and then fitted enough where you, uh want it to be fitted…? It’s not a long calculus question.
So what pattern change did I make to accommodate my bias fling, none. I just whacked out a pattern (because lets be honest and realise that I only take time with debs dresses and coats), and stuck a 45 degree angle to the original grain line. Much in the same way that you might mark a bias binding strip, was how this dress was marked. The rest of the draft was very straight forward, making a camisole style neck-line, then taking out the bust darts by just pulling in the sides. As for waist shaping, that was another gamble that payed off in this case. I took a little out of the waist, probably less than a half centimetre, because I wasn’t in the mood for sewing up any darts. Then I made the dress a bit longer, I know you can’t really tell but when your eye-ball measuring of lengths is usually for mini-skirts your idea of ‘long’ can become a little skewed.
Since the piece was already on the bias, I continued the trend with a bias binding finish, making the straps link into the armhole coverage. Then folded the hemline up twice and hey presto! We have a dress. I started this Sunday morning at around nine, finished before twelve, although I work as though I’m on steroids (all my extra energy comes from running) and as though there’s no tomorrow, which considering that I wasn’t going to have my sewing machine the next day, is a viable excuse here.
And I’ve found myself wearing this dress at least four times since that fateful morning. Of course I wear layers, despite the art college tag here, I do still treasure my warmth above all else, my most often worn item is my fleece. It is fun for layering though, especially with the grey dress worn here, which has always been that bit too ‘body-con’ for comfort. I’m trying to become less “I’ll just stand here in my oversized clothing” but I do have moments where I’ll completely revert, or look in the mirror and shake my head that it’s just not me. But well, the two together… very me.
So final verdict on this nineties-esque piece, I’m very happy with it, I can keep my barely there ‘fashion cred’ while still staying true to my rule of warmth and comfort. Best of both worlds, now if you’ll excuse me while I knock up another dozen!
P.s. did I even mention that it’s silk!
bluesewncat 