the dress...

I don't always think in a very organised way...   My sketchbooks are full of mind maps like this which, for me, is the best way I can begin to get  stuff out of my head and onto paper.  I can work  the same one for months making connections as it grows.

This was just the beginnings of an idea for a dress which I plan to show with the book.

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I wanted to use a vintage 1930's pattern..  I intended to enlarge it to double size using an ohp so i decided it was easier to use the pattern layout rather than the pattern -although there would be no guarantee it was to scale.

I found one  traced it onto an acetate sheet.

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I used an OHP to project it onto paper making sure to double all the measurements.

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I cut out the paper pattern and adjusted all the curves to make sure they would fit together. I decided it might look too much like a wedding dress so
searched for an alternative.

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Eventually I found another pattern for a plain 1930's day dress. It was much simpler and the main part of the dress was in one piece.

Cutting the fabric was tricky and so I had to use the hall floor.

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I chose muslin as it was lightweight and translucent but also because it is often mentioned in the Motherhood Book.

It's pretty loosely woven so was wasn't the easiest thing to sew without it puckering.  

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I love to sew by hand (even 8ft long  seams)... but have not made clothes since I was at school.
I couldn't use running stitch as it was not firm enough but back stitch pulled the threads into holes.  So I sewed a combination of the two. ...sort of two stitches forward one back. Not too pretty but serviceable.

The inch wide seam allowance felt huge and couple of times I lost concentration..

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Much like paper  the material has a memory.

The needle and thread leaving little wounds.

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The buttonholes are clumsy and the thicker thread on the muslin not ideal but I want the scale to be right.

It's not finished yet but taking shape.

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Still have lots to do but I couldn't resist trying it out on the  wall which is 4m tall. 

When finished I hope it gives  the viewer the impression of being the height of a child.

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