Sewing, What I wear

Henrietta Maria in Paradise

Henrietta Maria in Paradise dress thedreamstress.com

Mr D and I are taking a long overdue and much deserved holiday someplace warm and exotic (Mr D is of the firm belief that it doesn’t count as a holiday unless it’s warm) where the beach is wonderful and the hammocks are inviting, but where internet is erratic and expensive.  So I apologise for the lack of postings.

Henrietta Maria in Paradise dress thedreamstress.com

I didn’t even have time to get any posts together to auto-publish beforehand, as I’ve been so frantically busy for the last few months. Getting ready for the trip involved carefully arranging all my teaching, and planning class schedules for as soon as I come back, taking all my university marking with me to do on planes and in airports, and getting a ton of sewing done, or prepped to do by hand on the trip.

One of the funner bits of sewing I did was for the trip (nothing like sewing for the tropics to make you love your sewing): a version of the Henrietta Maria dress to wear over swimsuits as a beach cover in a silk cotton voile.

Henrietta Maria in Paradise dress thedreamstress.com

I picked up the voile for $5 a metre at a Fabric Warehouse pop up sale last year, and finally got around to sewing it, just before the FW did their next pop up sale!

Henrietta Maria in Paradise dress thedreamstress.com

I love the dye pattern on the silk, and as I was figuring out the layout, I realised I could subvert the normal rules of where you lay patterning, and instead make the darker blue areas fall like a bikini on me, which seemed appropriate for a beach dress.

Henrietta Maria in Paradise dress thedreamstress.com

The benefit to the layout is that I’ve realised I can wear normal underclothes under it, and they don’t show through, so it’s more versatile. And in summer in Wellington I’ll probably still be wearing a cami and tap pants under any dress anyway, so my modesty will be well preserved.

Henrietta Maria in Paradise dress thedreamstress.com

The wonderful benefit to a holiday is guaranteed stunning photo ops. Mr D helpfully trailed around the resort after me, taking photographs as I bounced in and out of hammocks and up and down stairs and down to the beach. And the photos turned out very well (or at least I think so), so I’ll just let the rest of them speak for themselves.

Henrietta Maria in Paradise dress thedreamstress.com

Henrietta Maria in Paradise dress thedreamstress.com

Henrietta Maria in Paradise dress thedreamstress.com

 

Henrietta Maria in Paradise dress thedreamstress.com

14 Comments

  1. It’s very pretty and I love the bright red lipstick on you! I think you could go in a fashion magazine like this (if those magazines were cool and depict real people instead of dolls)

  2. I fully agree with Mr. D. If it ain’t warm, it ain’t a holiday. I hope you’re both having a wonderful time, and you look fabulous in that gorgeous little dress!

  3. The Henrietta Maria makes a lovely beach cover! And your holiday location makes for lovely photography backdrop. 🙂 Have a good time!

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