FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Rebecca
(click images to to enlarge)
Outline the story …
As soon as I heard about the competition in the welcoming stitchlings zoom session, a voice in my head shouted ‘Rebecca’. At the same time a dress I had always wanted to make from Patterns of Fashion popped into my mind. I looked up the dates. Rebecca was published in 1938 and the dress was dated circa 1936. It seemed meant to be.
I dithered between dressing Rebecca in mysterious grey or flame red but, looking through book jackets, it seemed that Rebecca is seen as the ultimate scarlet woman. With its dramatic back view, I was struck that the dress pattern is perfect for Rebecca since, in essence we/‘the girl’ follow her through the book, in the wake of her trail of glamour and intrigue.
I chose a gorgeous red silk taffeta (the original dress - hidden somewhere in the V and A archives - is taffeta) from London’s Goldhawk Road during a break in lockdowns. I soon realised that every, ahem, bulge showed under bias cut taffeta and set about making the modernised version of a 1930s’ girdle from the Foundations Revealed library.
Living in the West Country myself, it was my plan to stride out along the rocky coast in my flame red taffeta dress for the photos. However, the dress wasn’t ready to be photographed till the day before the deadline (oops) when it was blowing a freezing sleet storm. I wasn’t quite brave enough for this or dog walking onlookers!
Outline the construction…
Janet Arnold describes the dress as having ‘an interesting’ cut. There are two small pattern pieces that make up the bodice. Otherwise the dress is mainly one large bias cut shape that wraps from front to back. This made sizing it really tricky. No convenient seams or darts where the fit could be tweaked. Inevitably the original wearer was a totally different size and shape to me - taller and thinner (typical!) and with wider shoulders.
As with the original dress, it was also impossible to cut the entire dress shape on the bias from one width of fabric, meaning it had to be pieced. On the straight grain, this presents no real problem. On the bias I soon found (mock up no 2) that a lot of attention needed to be paid to the extra piece attached to the skirt around the back. Without matching the grain accurately, the shape of the dress distorts.
At the back of the dress is a kind of curved T shape where the fishtail of ruffles is attached. Ruffles also run around the shoulders and down the low back of the dress. There are 50 ruffles in all, formed from quarter circles, mitred at the corners, joined at the sides and hemmed at the outer curved edges. It was such a relief to get the quarter circles/ruffles stitched together. Up to that moment, every time I counted them, it was to find that, once again, at least two had gone missing!
I guess this must have been a hell of an construction job and it is amazing how all the scallops have such an easy flow. the red is stunning and it suits you really well. you must be looking forward to a party to show off your beautiful gown
It’s so kind of you to leave a comment. And I’m really pleased you mention the back of the dress – that is where 99 percent of all the work took place. I was upset when I saw my entry as I was convinced the back view would be the main picture (as it is in Patterns of Fashion) – 1930s evening dresses were all about a dramatic back. The fact you took time to look through all the pictures and notice the one I thought would be featured and leave a comment for me really means a lot. Thank you.
I’m impressed with how fluid you’ve made the taffeta look, particularly as you used additional seams to get enough width! I also appreciate that you took the time to make appropriate undergarments to achieve the look you wanted. It’s the little details that make something great!
Ah, thank you!! As the deadline approached I was taking this dress to bed at midnight to carry on stitching! It is so nice to have it appreciated. I’m very grateful to you for taking the time to look at my photos, read my description and write a comment. Thank you!
That back…. just WOW! The ruffles are wonderful and that red is gorgeous! Great job❤
Yes, this dress is all about the back! It’s the back view of the dress that appears on the cover of Patterns of Fashion 2. I shot the picture into the mirror so that my face is visible but the back of the dress is the star. I’m so disappointed it wasn’t the main picture – in fact it’s the last picture! – which makes me incredibly thankful to you for getting to it and noticing it, and for taking the time and trouble to tell me. Thank you.
I can see what you mean about the back of the dress being the star of the show, it is STUNNING! I adore vintage and 1930’s dresses, so I really love this design, and it is beautifully executed! According to my grandma, who worked professionally as a seamstress, making dress all in one piece of fabric (although it looks simple from the outside) is one of the hardest things to do! Not being able to use darts or multiple panels to manipulate the fabric is really tricky, so well done for tackling this particular design, you did an amazing job!
I love this! It’s really very well done! Thank you!
All about those ruffles! This dress has a presence. Amazing job.