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The Can of Worms skirt
Sometimes sewing projects go to plan.
And sometimes sewing projects seem like they are really simple, and then get more, and more, and more complicated…
I’m sure you can guess which one this is from the title!
The Can of Worms skirt didn’t even start out as a skirt. It started out as a dress that looked like this:
I bought the dress while op-shopping with Lauren of Wearing History after Costume College last August. It wasn’t quite right: the zipper was a terrible mess, and it needed a sway back adjustment (SBA).
But the fabric was amazing: hand worked embroidery, indigo dyeing and reverse applique. I suspect it’s Hmong in origin.
So I bought it, figuring I’d put in a zip, do a quick SBA, and everything would be fabulous.
Haha. Famous last words.
I bought it in early August, but didn’t get around to altering it until mid November, by which time I’d entirely forgotten about the SBA.
So I unpicked the terrible zip, realised that the stitching holding the skirt to the waistband was ridiculously shonky, unpicked and re-attached the skirt, put in a proper zip, put the dress on, and discovered that 1) it REALLY needed the sway back adjustment and 2) it didn’t fit me at all over a strapless bra, which was what it had to be worn over. I’d tried it on over a light summer bra when I bought it, and that was fine, but the straps showed. Over a strapless, with a bit more padding? No dice.
So, time to take it off and see about that SBA and adding bust-space!
I took a closer look at it, and realised there was no way to add space for my bust, because the bodice was just a rectangle of fabric with no side seams, and it seems a travesty to cut up such an amazing textile to insert gores for space at the side.
Gah!
There was also no way to do a SBA, because the bodice was horizontal stripes, which meant that raising the back waistband would look really, really weird.
GRRRRRR!
What’s a girl to do? I figured I’d try it on again and see if I could come up with a solution.
As I tried to do up the zip on the very-snug bodice a second time, I felt a bit of a sharp stab in my back.
I figured I’d pulled a little muscle, would take a nice bath, and be all good.
Hahahahahahahaha.
No.
It was not all good. It was the worst thing I’ve ever done to my back in my life. I was off to the South Island the next morning for Thanksgiving. So I spent five days on serious prescription painkillers (which I have for something else but rarely use), or struggling to move without crying when they wore off, before I could see my doctor.
(yes, this did happen at the same time as my final fight with TV E01. Oct/Nov was not my best sewing session!)
When I’d finally come right, I glared at the skirt, carefully unpicked the zip and my beautifully re-sewn re-attaching the bodice-to-the-skirt stitching, inserted a new short zip, and turned it into a skirt.
So it didn’t get worn for Thanksgiving, but I did wear it for Christmas.
It’s all for the best in the end. I think I like it better as a skirt, and it’s more versatile.
It does need a tiny bit more work done. I took these photos with help from Nina of Smash the Stash, on the same day as I took my preppy Miramar pictures, and at the end of the photoshoot (whether or not I’d intended it to be the end…) I did a little jump, and heard a suspicious ripping sound…
Yep. The original stitching up the back seam of the skirt had given way, and the skirt was no longer fit for public consumption…
Ooops!
So I need to re-sew that, and while I’m add it I’m going to unpick and re-sew the waistband one more time, because it’s just a bit loose.
But for a month at least it WAS done, and did get worn a half dozen times!
Rate the Dress: an interesting take on late 1860s
Guess who forgot to do Rate the Dress last night? Yep, me. In my defence, it was a public holiday in Wellington, and my brain got stuck on Sunday mode.
So, a few hours late, but here you go!
The overall consensus on Vionnet’s green harlequin dress was that it, like everything Vionnet made, was practically perfect in every way. It got very hard to keep track of the ratings, there were so many 10s in a row! The neckline treatment, and alternating grainlines, came in for particular praise. But a few of you couldn’t get Robin Hood out of your brain, and others assumed it was as simple as it looks (!), pulling the rating down to an exceptional, but not quite perfect, 9.2 out of 10.
As a follow up to Vionnet’s diamonds and simplicity, this weeks Rate the Dress is an elaborate late 1860s confection featuring as at least as many half-oval scallops as Vionnet’s dress featured diamonds.
The dress silhouette shows the transition from the late 1860s full elliptical crinoline, to the bustle of the 1870s, which in this instance creates the illusion of an exceptionally high back waist. It’s possible that the dress originally had a sash or other waist feature which is now missing.
The dress may also have had an alternate bodice, or a guimpe which filled in the low neckline, taking it from a dinner dress (as shown) to a day or reception dress.
The lavish use of lace trim was made possible by technological advances that improved machine-made embroidery on net laces.
What do you make of this ensemble? What would have gone around the middle to make it right? Or is it perfect as it is (or un-redeemable no matter what belt was worn?)
Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10