Textiles

I recently challenged myself to design and make a dress in one day. It helped that I had already purchased all of the fabric, notions, and tools I'd need! I'd been dreaming about what to do with this embroidered mesh ever since I purchased it months previously, and ultimately I needed to do something impulsive with it so that I could stop making excuses for why I hadn't made anything yet. The ribbon closure for the back was a pretty unexpected, last-minute decision, and I loved how it turned out to be perfectly adjustable. 

When I first bought this fabric, my intention was to use it as "muslin", or in other words, for prototypes of future dresses. But once I started working with it, I thought it was too soft and lovely not to use in a final product! I designed and made this drop-waist reversible dress -which can be styled inside-out and backwards- and wore it in my graduation photos celebrating the completion of my M.S. in Materials Science. After the session, my photographer and I realized that most of the pictures didn't have my graduation gown & cap in them, but that only makes them easier to use in my portfolio now.

I'm sure it's not often that the words for the name of this project appear next to one another... This delightfully patterned fabric is actually quilter's cotton, so it wasn't a perfect choice for a romper, but it had been sitting in my textile pile for a while and I needed a second outfit for my graduation pictures. I based this pattern off of a romper I already owned, so I got to learn how stiffness of fabric plays a role in fit and function when the flat shapes of the finished garments are really comparable.

It's probably becoming obvious that I am obsessed with making my own dresses. For these three and quite a few others I couldn't find pictures of, I drafted my own patterns, experimenting with a variety of bodices, necklines, and skirts, often using the same five-piece skirt that allowed me to add pockets at the side seams.