FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
The Snowdrop Dress
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Outline the story …
Snowdrops are my favourite flower as they brighten up my February birthday, but I rarely see them in clothing designs. I’ve wanted to make a snowdrop dress for a long time, so the competition was the perfect reason. I was inspired by the illustrated Snowdrop fairy by Cicely Mary Barker and 1840s fan front bodices, which I love from watching adaptations of Jane Eyre. I tried drawing various designs with more rigid petals like the original flower, but preferred the soft drape and subtle snowdrop elements instead. I looked at real snowdrops for inspiration such as four petals, green centres and long vertical design lines. I wanted the overall look to be subtle and elegant, just like the flowers themselves. I decided to make two separate garments so I can mix and match and get more use from each one. I chose a half circle skirt to provide moderate fullness without being as fluffy as a full circle. Ankle length was practical as I tend to trip over anything longer!
Outline the construction…
I used second hand fabric to reduce cost and environmental impact: green silk taffeta for the skirt, cream cotton bedsheet for linings and silver silk dupioni for the bodice. I used a mixture of machine and hand sewing and completed the project in two months due to other commitments.
My bodice pattern was a personalised dress block I made during a course, and was my first time using it for garment construction. It had front and back darts with a zip back closure, which was a new technique. I added plastic boning to the dart seams to support the weight of draped silk. The silk rectangles were gathered, pleated and hand-sewn to each quarter of the bodice for an organic look. I flat felled interior seams by machine for a clean finish. I used green thread and green bias tape for the armholes as a hidden snowdrop accent.
Initially I struggled with the maths needed to make a half circle skirt, but eventually worked it out. I flat lined the skirt and hand stitched the skirt hem to lining so there were no visible stitches from the outside. I pieced the skirt lining as I didn’t have enough fabric. For me a pocket was essential but only had one seam in the skirt so had to experiment to fit one around the placket and hook and eye closure. I accidentally sewed the pocket inside out so tried a French seam for the first time which worked well.
Love the flow of the bodice! Good job