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Omniessence
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Other Credits
Photographer: Joanne M
Outline the story …
Violet has created a personal representation of the Omniessence in Nature.
The inspiration for my outfit came from how each element comes together to make the wholeness of nature. I found the blue fabric in the thrift store and it reminded me of lichen and I thought it would make a great center piece for all the flowers to grow around. I wanted to feel like one with nature when I wore it, but also wanted to have a Victorian, cottage core, fresh out of a stand of pine trees feel to it. The gold buttons and eyelets on the dress represent the sun, tied together with brown ribbon that represents twigs. I made my stitches visible yet strong because not everything in nature is perfect, but that doesn't negate its beauty, it redefines its definition. I wanted to capture a scene in a meadow at the edge of a forest.
Outline the construction…
The materials were all thrifted. All three floral materials are a polyester/cotton blend and the blue material is a polyester as well.
I drafted the walking skirt pattern from The Keystone Jacket and Dress Cutter book. The bodice is self-drafted by me using inspiration from Pinterest, the petticoat is a pattern from Anges Walkers Manual of Needlework and Cutting Out.
Some challenges I faced were how the blue fabric frays and pulls weirdly, so I had to make sure there were no raw edges. This involved lining the whole dress with another fabric to make sure the blue fabric wouldn't rip at the seams.
The skirt seams are done with princess seams, with the bottom hem being covered in a folded piece of fabric and sewed on by hand as the fabric was too thick to fit under my presser foot. Due to the drape in the fabric, I had to remove the pocket as even when it was layed flat it left a bump on the outside. The dress itself is quite heavy so I made sure to reinforce the seams so they could withhold the weight. I couldn't get my collar I drafted to work so I ended up folding a piece of fabric along the neck line to make a smaller collar that didn't need to be drafted.
it is lovely how you incorporated the historical pattern and techniques from The Keystone Guide and Agnes Walkers sewing instructions to then create your own natural world creation. I love all the different fabric on the inside as as a little surprise under the surface.
What a cute little outfit!! It definitely gives off the cottage core vibe