FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
The Matched Dress
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https://www.instagram.com/see.my.world2
Outline the story …
When I was around 12 years old, I read the book "Matched" by Allie Condie; ever since then I've been infatuated with the authors description of "a green silk dress." That is all the book says about the dress, so that left me with a lot of room for imagination. I have thought about this dress for years, imagining all the possibilities of this 'green silk dress'. Naturally, this was the only dress that popped into my mind when deciding what I was going to make, I sketched up other ideas too, but this dress was calling to me. I was heavily inspired by binge-watching "The Crown." I wanted to create something that looked fit for a royal occasion- in the book the main character wears the dress to her "Matching Ceremony", a part of the dystopian universe. I thought it would be fun to take a very futuristic concept and make it historical- plus the 50's atomic styles make me think of 'futuristic' trends.
Outline the construction…
I started sewing in August, during quarantine in 2020; so I knew that I needed to go with a simple pattern for this project, I picked the 1950's McCalls 9577 pattern. This dress was an absolute struggle from start to finish, I may have bit off more than I could chew as a beginner, but I think I learned so much about sewing and myself in this process One of the most obvious issues is the fit, the pattern was a size too big for me, so I took in all the darts 1/2in, and made one horizontal dart to fit the bust I also added straps for design. Another challenge I came across was the magical concept of sewing satin with the proper tension, as you can see I learned the hard way with the center front seam. I ended up sewing a lot by hand, as I have more practice with hand sewing than machine. I also did a lot of things for the first time, such as adding four boning channels with featherlite boning, adding a waist tape, and working with satin. I used a polyester matte satin found at my local JoAnne's, as it was more budget friendly than silk. I already had the lace trims in my stash, and used my muslin for the lining! In the end, the dress is not perfect, it has its flaws. Nonetheless, I'm so incredibly proud of myself for just doing it, and learning so much along the way.
Absolutely beautiful. You can tell that you feel beautiful in it too. Brava! Well done.
Such a lovely shape. And the colour, mwah! I can imagine sewing the satin was quite a challenge, and you definitely rose to it. Good luck x
That ist a perfect looking green dress.
Very lovely and very ambitious for one of your first projects! It looks great!
You recreated a timeless classic. It is a wonderful dress.
This is lovely! I can’t believe you managed to make this after sewing for less than a year!! (I stuck to making basic rectangle skirts and pillowcases when I first started sewing, so I’m impressed!) Also, I sympathise with your struggle, fitting is hard and sewing silky fabrics is a nightmare, but you handled the challenge really well, the result is gorgeous!
Beautiful work with a tricky structure! And that rich green you chose. Just gorgeous.
Absolutely beautiful – your dress is fit for a queen! I love how you ‘matched’ the historical with the futuristic in your design and creation.
Wow, what a beautiful dress, you should be proud! Thank you, I love this!
Stunning dress! I love the added trim, and the shape that you chose to go with!