Daughter Annie's strapless dress muslin made for the sewing class I am taking in NYC this Thursday through Sunday.One thing I have been working on recently is this strapless dress muslin for the sewing class I'm taking with instructors Susan Khalje and Kenneth King. Both are known for their expertise with formalwear, and considering Annie is now a senior in high school (gasp! where did the time go?!) and has the need for some dressy dresses, I thought I'd try making a strapless dress with a boned bodice.
Annie looked at hundreds of images of strapless dresses and decided she wanted a simple shape—no full fifties-style skirts for her. What you see here is a hybrid of the bodice from McCalls 5849 and the skirt from BurdaStyle 08/09 #128 dress. The fashion fabric Annie chose is red duchesse satin from Mood, and it will be lined in matching red silk crepe. Plus there will be organza and other layers I'll try to take you through as I build this thing. (Thank goodness this dress only requires 1.5 yards of fabric.) The goal is to have a boned bodice that stands up by itself but is comfortable to wear.
I emailed these photos to Susan for her input before class, since Annie won't be there for Susan and Kenneth to critique the muslin on her. She says it's pretty close, just neaten up the side seams a bit and she can help me with the shirring that's happening around the bust area.
Annie is so happy with the way this muslin looks that she has been texting all her friends, telling them they have to go to her school's Winter Wonderland formal this year so she can go too and wear this dress. (Kids at her school can be blasé about formals.) Hopefully her tan lines will fade by then!••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
As promised, some vacation photos from our recent trip to Pennsylvania. Above is Gettysburg town square, with a rainbow that appeared after dinner. I bought vintage quilt blocks and a quilt top from an antique store here.
My son David standing by a monument to the 20th Maine Infantry at Little Round Top, Gettysburg. A distant relative on my side of the family was awarded the Medal of Honor for his valor at this very spot. I highly recommend visiting Gettysburg: the town, the National Military Park visitor's center and museum, and the battlefields. It was a much more impressive experience than I was expecting, and I wouldn't mind going back to see more of the battlefields. (I am turning into an even bigger history geek in my old age.)•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Hang in there with me for some more erratic blogging. I'll try to take photos of my class so I can share that experience with you next week. Have a great week everyone!
33 comments:
Lindsay, have a wonderful time at your class. The dress will be the perfect project.
The dress looks excellent. How exciting that Annie is thrilled-makes it all the more worthwhile! See you soon.
This dress project is so exiting. Senior high ! How wonderful. I will be following this project closely !
The muslin is looking good - just a few tweaks and you'll have it! I am so jealous of your class :)
I love the shape of the dress! I especially like the pleats at the waist. Can't wait to see the red version. I heard that red is a HOT color for fall...
I too recommend a visit to Gettysburgh, I went years ago and enjoyed it very much. Have fun in your class, your muslin is looking good.
That dress is going to be so cute!
What a PERFECT choice for the class, and exactly something I would have picked myself. I've never done a boned bodice, it must be so wonderful to get hands on help. It looks great so far and DD is rightfully thrilled- she'll be the belle at the ball.
Ooh, I love the pleating detail in the skirt. It will be very nice!
One lucky young lady! It will look wonderful in red. I am amazed by the different layers needed for couture garments. I believe, my wedding dress may be my only garment that I ever owned made in this fashion. Annie is being brought up right!
That's going to look fab, and I can't wait to see the progress! I'm so far behind on my muslin. It's done, but I have no time to fit it before we start. Ah well. See you Thursday!
What fun taking a sewing class in NYC. The dress looks darling on your DD. Good thing she is pleased too.
Sounds like an awesome class. The muslin looks great and how please you must be that DD is loving the dress as well!
I'm so impressed with anyone who can make anything strapless. It scares the life out of me. I really am looking forward to seeing the finished product. Oh and I'm jealous that you have access to such wonderful sewing classes!
Am a little jealous of your class :) I told my mom today your statement on sewing skipping a generation. She's still laughing.
I took Kenneth King's bustier class on Pattern Review and it was very helpful.
Boned strapless garments are a godsend. It is wonderful she is so excited about this dress! And you don't even have to force it on her. ;)
Lucky, lucky you! Enjoy that class. Wow!
Lindsay - Looks like we are in the same class! Looking forward to working with and learning from you! Great dress! See you one Thursday morn!
Best
Laura Lee
http://www.capital-sew-and-sew.blogspot.com/
dcthreads.org
Was going to say-- wow, those are some crazy tan lines! The class sounds like it'll be a blast, and so informative given the teachers! I'll be looking forward to seeing any tidbits you have to share.
The class sounds fantastic! Did I hear you say your bought quilt blocks? Are you making a quilt???
Sounds like you had a fun weekend. Gettysburg is a wonderful place to visit. The history there is hard to fathom unless you actually go to the battlefields. Plus, the town is beautiful.
Your daughter's dress is going to be very neat!
Can't wait to hear all about your class. Susan is a wonderful teacher and I'm sure you will enjoy your time with her and learn lots of new techniques to share with us all.
Enjoy your class and your class time with fellow bloggers.
That muslin is going to turn into one hot little number in the red satin. Whohoooo...
I will be watching your progress. I'm just about to embark on my first of three formal styles that are required for my daughter's high school graduation functions - a dinner, a cocktail party and a formal ball. I think my daughter is secretly hoping that I will give up and take her shopping!
Looks great - have fun!
the dress is going to turn out fantastic if the muslin is anything to go by. Nice tan!
The class sounds like fun. And what a great dress DD will have. Enjoy.
Have I told you recently how jealous I am of your class? I can't wait to hear more about it and see your dress progress!
That is going to be a great dress. Your daughter has excellent taste; the pattern combination is perfect! Your sewing class sounds so exciting - I hope you will share every detail with us.
As a native of PA I can say that there are many many great places to visit in that state. PA is often overlooked as a destination due to its proximity to New York and Northern Virgina.
And you know, if Annie's tan lines don't fade completely I bet she can do a spray tan to cover them up. The tanning salon near my office does spray tan.
Lindsay, what class are you taking? I have to mention that Kenneth King's Bustier class was awesome. I used to use the pattern instructions only when doing my strapless sorority semi formal dresses, however, Kenneth's instructions produce a solid, superior strapless bodice. Sometimes I wonder how I ever survived during the "stone ages" pre Internet/wealth of information! Just lots of make do sewing I guess. That dress is going to turn out fabulous!
How wonderful that you are taking this class. It looks like so much fun and you are learning so much.
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