I finally finished the black and white polka dot vintage “dinner” dress! It is not quite fancy enough for evening wear since the fabric is a cotton polka dot, but definitely fancy enough for a dinner out with my sweet Hubbin, Chris. Right after I finished making my Grandma’s dress, Chris asked me if I wanted to make another dress using the opposite fabric, a black fabric with the white polka dots. Of course I said yes, and he gave me a little extra spending money to go buy the fabric, which makes this dress a little more special.
I am sooo happy to be done with this dress. It gave me a lot of heartache, and I thought I would never finish it. Part of the reason the dress was so difficult is because I deviated from the pattern. My plan was to make the Retro Butterick Pattern B4918 with the skirt from New Look 6886. The trouble came when I decided to make the bodice drape (without the shoulder drape) out of the polka dot cotton. I knew there was a strong possibility that the cotton would be way too heavy and thick to make the drape, but I had to try anyway. Since the drape was a complete and utter failure, I had to pull a Project Runway and come up with something entirely different, which is how the white satin ruffle and crystal button came into play. I am actually happier with the white ruffle.
For more photos, check out my blog! This dress has boning, and I will be posting a "how to" blog entry on boning soon.