Hello again!!
I found this... thing at a thrift store for a couple bucks, and loved the color so I figured it'd be a keeper somehow or another. I THINK I originally had a very grand idea for this dress, but either forgot about it, or just decided it wouldn't work. Most of my grand ideas require stretchy fabric, which this is not, so...
I felt like Laura Ingalls, minus the scandalous showing of my legs. Who said shoulder pads were hot anyway? Moving on...
This ended up being a much simpler refash than I thought it would be. Chop the length, chop the sleeves, chop the uglies that call themselves shoulder pads... chop ALL the things!!!! Normally I'd carve and sew up the neckline but decided to just unbutton a couple buttons and let it lay flat for a casual comfy look. I thought about taking it in but decided to be lazy, not everything has to be fitted.
So this is what happened.
I mean, cute!!!! Right? And SHORT!!!! Whew! While some folks are perfectly comfortable with this kind of length, I am not. I don't wear any skirt/dress type of thing that makes me feel like my toochus is showing. Nope! But now what, cause it's super cute!!! I still had the length I chopped,which was substantial, and I'm totally going to use it for a scarf/head tie/belt/general accessory. I was going to reattach it and then cut it into to a high low, but didn't think I'd like the look of it as much, not to mention the headache that I got just from THINKING about sewing it all back on evenly. My other idea was to get white lace fabric and make a skirt to go over it, which I've seen here and there. White lace was obtained, a basic skirt made, and I was very dubious about the whole look. I showed my fashion blind hub. He looked askance, so back to the drawing board it was. I sat on it for a while and then decided to take the plunge and just reattach it the aforementioned length, I could always take it back off again. Then inspiration struck! I had some white lace ribbon lurking amongst my sewing supplies. This is what happened.
Yaaas!!!! This was not as complicated and difficult as I had anticipated, all I did was take great care and sew slowly.
I like!! It needs cowboy boots, which I do not possess. It's still just a tad short for my preference, but I think I can manage. I am pleased with how it turned out, gave it a nice finishing touch. All that being said, I don't think this look is really quite me, but I do like it. So, there's that. :)
Hello!!! Today's post is the long promised look at both the ballgown and the wardrobe I created for the premiere of my first feature film, 'The Return'! I filmed this movie on location in Wisconsin in October and January... brrrrrr!!!! This Southern girl had never seen snow, so it was quite an experience!
First thing's first is the costume. It is a gown for a Lady of yesteryear. I didn't refashion this, I had to make it from scratch, so I used a pattern for the first time. (First time meaning, I made myself do it, figured out all the hard parts, and completed it.) I hope to never apply those little clasp/ring thingamabobs ever again, that was probably the most frustrating part of the process.
No process pics. I'm not sure if I took them and lost them, or just never took them.
Somehow I didn't get a good, full length picture of it, but there's the general idea! It's actually slightly too big for me, but I don't think it really matters that much for this type of costume.
After the film wrapped, I visited the Goodwill that was within walking distance from the hotel the day before I went home. And there I found this:
I knew when I tried it on that it was special, I just wasn't sure exactly how yet. It was about $7, and in really good condition. For reals I bought so much stuff at that Goodwill I almost couldn't pack it. My refashion senses were going haywire. I got home and started playing with it, and slowly an idea grew. A couple months later, I found this, for about $8 at the most run down thrift shop I'd ever visited.
Way too big. But are you feeling it yet? Wait for it...
I decided the China red, while lovely, wasn't what I wanted. It's just not my color. So I gave it a dye bath with blue dye. I experimented with the fabric from those horrid shoulder pads to be sure I got the shade I wanted, good thing too, if I'd followed directions, it'd have been much darker than I wanted.
So, cut away the neckline, (which almost made it too low for my preference), and salvaged the lovely lace applique around said neckline, which I took a black sharpie to. I removed the buttons and sewed the front down to about my stomach, after confirming that I could indeed pull this gown over my head. Then I painstakingly sewed the now black lace applique down the front to hide the button holes, with slightly questionable results. Removed the sleeves and hemmed everything up. (The whole process took a long time, with alot of frustrations, refittings, tweakings, etc, but it was worth it!) I removed the corset stays from the black dress, and took it in to fit, then put the first gown over it. There was lots of room in the skirt, so I made poufs? on the red dress similar to what the black gown had, instead of letting it lay straight. Gave the whole thing a more elegant look. And here is the final result!
I absolutely love it!!! So pleased with how it turned out! I've already been asked to turn it into a costume for another project I'll be filming later this year, which makes me very happy I didn't throw away the sleeves, I'll just reattach them and make them poofy for a Victorian look.
And isn't my hub hott?
