The Daughters of Triton Dress...

Wednesday 9 July 2014


Hello All,

So I never actually finished the Vegas Holiday line up!

This was because I really wanted to make some adjustments to the dress before I took pictures, and I only just got around to doing it! 

I'm calling this the Daughters of Triton dress, because when I was trying to come up with a post title, I realised my hair and dress had a bit of a Little Mermaid theme going on :) All I need is a shell to sit in...

This is the teal duchess satin BHL Anna bodice with a circle skirt.


Basically, the issue was that I had added horsehair braid to the hem (or at least some sort of plasticy nylon equivalent) and I ballsed it up a bit.  I was trying to go all out, and even got the braid in a jade green to blend in with the dress.


I spent hours and hours ensuring the hem was level. All I can remember about the days before the trip are: that hem, and watching Three Men and a Baby while working on that hem.


But of course, in my infinite wisdom, I decided to attach the braid while overlocking the hem. Could've worked out ok, but I didn't realise how much the braid can stretch out, and of course the implications that would have on how the hem would sit. And it must have stretched all sorts of crazy.
Cray-Cray


However, I only noticed this when I put the dress on in Vegas - because I had not tried the dress on until then. The front centre hem loop looked mental, looked like I sewed it drunk. Mega drunk. Tequila Drunk.

So unbelievably skew-iff, I was mortified.


So bad in fact, that I spent the evening folding the front loop over to one side with my arm as I was meandering.

So, I upicked the whole overlocked hem the other night, threw the horsehair in the bin (it was ruined anyways as the overlocker had nicked some of the braid and it was all unravelling), and hand stitched up the (now well-pressed) hem.


Putting it on now, it is a million times better, but looking at the photos, the front loop is still marginally longer than the rest. I may go back and re-do it, but I may not.

At least its not looking like its tipsy. Its at least sitting even across the loop. 

In these photos its actually the bottom of the zip that's annoying me, as it doesn't look puckered like that in real life!


I do really like the dress, but I don't love it as much as I thought I would. 
In my brain it was going to be THE DRESS.


I think contributing factors are the fact that the skirt is a bit shorter than I wanted, and the other factor is that the bodice is a smidgen short - which combined with the volume of the skirt at the waist, is not entirely my most flattering look from the side. I need to wear it with a belt to keep some of the volume down!

 I'm also starting to think that maybe I should try out the V-neck Anna neckline for a change. 


Finally, I've sort of fallen out of love with full circle skirts recently. It's just too much fabric to handle when you're trying to sit down, etc. And of course it's way worse at a shorter length than a longer one. 
It can be surprising how much a skirt rides up at the back when you sit down!


Bit of dance action there for ya

So yes, details of the dress.
Nothing else mega special. Hand picked lapped zipper with a matching metal zip. I loves me a metal zip.


The duchess satin presses really well. and I washed a test square on a 30/30 wash and it came out no different so I didn't pre-wash the fabric.

Ain't nobody got time for that coming up to a holiday!

(But you really should make time, do as I say, not as I do, lol)

Here's a couple of mannequin shots for a change! and a peek at some of the stash lol



And that's it folks! Whoops, I almost forgot - one on the night!


I think the holiday is finally finished, and only 2 months after :)

Maybe I can start cracking into the US fabric now. Although I held up one piece today and went to myself - you bought one yard. ONE That wasn't your cleverest move. 

In case you don't know me. I never buy less than two METRES; never mind one yard.
I guess there's some pencil skirts on my horizon, eh?

Emmie x

Sort of not a Coco at all....

Thursday 3 July 2014


Hello all,

So, this is what I hoped would be my 'simple' Minerva make - you know, after the trauma of last month!

And I guess it was (simple, that is)

The plan was to make a Tilly & the Buttons Coco dress

I thought - it's simple, it's quick, and it's similar to what I wear to work on a daily basis, and aren't we all always going on about how we need to sew sensible pieces that we will use everyday?

I myself change into a uniform at my place of work, so the clothing I wear on a daily is worn to-work and from-work, and usually no longer (I love my pjs)

And as I am usually running late, and getting changed is a giant pain in the arse, it's awfully nice to wear a simple knit dress. Whip over head and step into uniform.
Bingo

But of course nothing ever goes to plan!

Before we go anywhere, let me show you the dress.
I would like to forewarn you that I look mad as hell, but I was actually channeling a moody ambiance for the photo shoot. Cheery photos didn't feel right for 'the look', lol.

Here goes


You may notice a few things about this dress, the first probably being that it is definitely not a Coco dress.

You would probably bet your bottom dollar that I had swerved and made a Nettie dress.

Wrong.

The dress did indeed begin it's life as a Coco.
But it was god awful on me.


Basically, I decided that I would make a Coco, but I didn't want it to be as short as drafted as I'm not one for the short skirts. So I added 4" in the 'shorten/lengthen' line. and then followed the line of the upper waist down to the hem, but marginally wider (about 5/8"). 

I think this was my first mistake.

My second mistake was trying to make the dress reversible.
Because, as you may not realise, this is actually the wrong side of the fabric.
I had ordered the Grey Embossed Floral Ponte Roma, but the dress in my head was nothing like the dress on me. The picture also makes the fabric look a bit shinier and more metallic.


This is a nice enough print, but I think I could only get away with having it as a pencil skirt or something.
Not as an all over print.


Anywho, as the plain grey was so nice, I had this wonderful idea of flat-felling the seams to make the dress reversible. Lets just say all that remains of that idea are some flat-felled shoulders I couldn't be bothered to unpick (again)

But it was only when I started putting the dress together did I only realise fully how awful the fabric was on me. 
So I abandoned the reversible.

Only once I had the dress finished did I realise how awful the dress was on me.
Honestly, I think the main problem was those 4 extra inches of length.
It was drafted to sit at the point it does for a reason.


Once I realised this I was about to throw in the towel, hold up my hands and say "Sorry, I messed up, but I cannot and will not put this online as something I created". Although now I am slightly regretting not taking a 'before' picture!

But something in me pulled myself together, and began to hack.
And hack I did.


Firstly, I grabbed a fitted pencil skirt from my wardrobe, plonked it down on the dress and drew around it with chalk. I sewed that and tried it on.
Then began the 6 million tryings-on and tweakings of the dress.


In total I think I changed the skirt, took in the waist an additional time, scooped the neck, took in the bust side seams through to the armpit, pegged the skirt a little more and then took little extra bits at the hips that were sticking out funny.
Bits and pieces like that.


I have also taken in the sleeves since these photos were taken, to give a more snug and fitted finish.

I didn't set out to make a Nettie-lookalike, it only struck me once I took these photos, but it looks a bit like one to me! An unconcious homage to Heather Lou

Now this dress would not be the thing I normally wear. If you know me, you know I do not do fitted very often, and I hate anything clinging to my stomach. 
(In the interest of full disclosure: I am wearing some awesome controlwear in these photos)


But (with the controlwear) I really enjoyed wearing this dress! I felt sassy and wiggly, and a bit like a secretary - but in a good way - especially with a pair of heels on!


So there we go, not my usual on here but I learned stuff, and that's always good.
Has anyone else saved a disaster recently?

Emmie x

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