The Dreamstress

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Rate the Dress: 1930s Tangerine lace

Whether or not you liked last week’s 1890s Rate the Dress ensemble hinged very much on how you feel about three things: bright cherry red, big lace dickey-collars, and BIG sleeves. For most of you, even if you really liked one or the other, all three were a bit much, bringing the rating down to 7.5 out of 10.

This week I’m toning things down a little: going from red to orange, and from enormous sleeves to sleek 1930s. This dress, which was sold by Whitaker Auctions in their Spring 2013 sale, combines demure and assertive, with delicate floral lace in bold tangerine orange, and a figure-hugging silhouette with sweet ruffled collar and an optional jacket.

Evening gown, lace with satin under dress, sold by Whitaker Auctions

Without the jacket the dress is sleeveless, with a ruffled bib collar, and a slim skirt that flares at the hem.

Evening gown, lace with satin under dress, sold by Whitaker Auctions

The back of the dress plunges in a deep, spine-revealing V.

Evening gown, lace with satin under dress, sold by Whitaker Auctions

For a bit of coverage, the ensemble includes a matching jacket with cut-on sleeves and a sparkling button to fasten.

Evening gown, lace with satin under dress, sold by Whitaker Auctions

What do you think? Do you like the balance of bold and delicate? Does it help this outfit to stand out from the standard clingy, lace, back-baring 1930s evening frock?

Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10

The Henrietta Maria in Mint

Published by The Dreamstress

One of the joys of prepping patterns is the excuse to make samples of every single view. It’s something I can get a little carried away with: I’ve got no less than 5 new versions of the Henrietta Maria to show you!

It’s easy to get excited about making all the versions when I really love a pattern, and can find so many opportunities to wear it.

It’s shown here in mint green viscose (rayon) crepe georgette. I love how fresh and spring-y the colour is: it makes me feel like I should be eating strawberries and skipping through daisy fields.

And I absolutely LOVE View B of the pattern, with the curved back hem. It was inspired by a student who couldn’t decide what length she wanted the top to end at, and cut it with a curved hem. I’ve been playing with the curved hem ever since, getting it to just the right curve to skim over the hips and dip over the bottom.

View B has become my go-to top with jeans – it adds a bit of interest and glamour, while still being super easy and comfortable to wear.

What do you think? Do you like the dress or top views better?

Announcing Scroop Patterns!

Published by The Dreamstress

Dear readers, after three years of mentions, planning, and work, I am VERY excited to announce the launch of my pattern line:

Scroop is the name for the sound that silk and rayon taffeta make. It is added through an additional chemical process that hardens the cellulose and protein filaments, and serves no other purpose than to give the fabric its distinctive rustle.

I find the concept of scroop fascinating: when we think of the desirable of fabric we think of colours and patterns, surface sheen, hand and sculptural qualities, fibre content. Sound rarely comes into the equation, and yet the sound that stiff silks make is so desirable that at some point fabric manufacturers began experimenting with ways to increase it, and now the acid bath that creates scoop is an integral part of the process.

As I developed my pattern line, I kept coming back to the idea behind scroop: of taking something that it already wonderful (whether it is taffeta or sewing patterns), and adding just that little bit more to make it extra special.

With that in mind, I’ve designed my patterns to be just a little bit more: to deliver all the things I’ve ever wished a sewing pattern had, and that my students have asked for.

My patterns are all based on designs that I love and want to make over and over again, and that students and readers have all said they love and want. They draw on my knowledge of fashion and textile history, my understanding of the technical characteristics of fabrics, and my work as a sewing teacher.

Every Scroop pattern comes with:

Complete, easy to read notations on every pattern piece (because I can’t count the times when I have been cutting out a pattern and have lost track of the single size guide, or have spent 20 minutes trying to find the one tiny place in the pattern where the seam allowance is noted)

Full instructions (because sometimes you want ALL the information), including:
- suggested pattern layouts
- full sizing guides – with finished garment measurements
- full fabric guides
- alteration tips to help you achieve the perfect fit
- notes on why certain techniques and construction methods are recommended
- tips on the easiest way to complete the trickier steps
Streamlined instructions (because sometimes you know how to do all the basic steps, and don’t want to print 10+ pages of instructions) which give the essential instructions in the minimum amount of space.
PDF files for both:
- A print-at-home pattern in A4 or Letter format
- A copyshop pattern that prints on large size A0 paper, so you don’t have to tape the pattern together.

The inaugural Scroop pattern is the Henrietta Maria dress and top. It’s one of my favourite patterns to make and wear, and hopefully it will be one of your favourites too!

I’ll be adding more patterns over the coming months – I’ve got lots of exciting designs in the works!