Monday, April 12, 2010

Thai Fabric Maxi Dress

I have not been doing much sewing of late, though I am nearly finished the dress I'll be wearing to my husband's 30th Birthday dinner this friday night. I am taking him somewhere quite swanky, so have made a special dress to suit (more on that later).

Some time ago, my sister travelled to Thailand and brought me back 4m of some lovely fabric (thank you small sister!). I was going to make it into a 50's party dress, but it wasn't the right drape and handle. So I decided to make a flowy maxi dress.


I used Vogue 8380, which I have used before (my skull dress for Christmas day was made from this pattern). I altered it by lengthening it to be floor-length and using a contrasting black grosgrain ribbon as the ties. I also included a few more gathers for the skirt, to make it more full. See how it picks up in the wind?


This dress is nice to wear. It is a relatively simple design, so it allows my pretty Thai fabric to speak up. A shot from the back:



Boo-dogg likes this dress too. I wore it to a comedy show about two weeks ago, and she kept going underneath my skirt. She really is very cute:


I will be out of action for a while. A very rude person barged into me from behind when I was getting off the tram at work this morning. I was carrying a rather heavy bag, and sort of twisted when this person ran into me, then sort of fell off the tram. I felt a bad pain go through my neck and shoulder, and then couldn't stand the weight of my bag. I went into my office, took off my suit jacket, and went into the conference room to try and do a few stretches. No can do.

I rang my osteopath begging for an appointment, and got in for 9.30am. Someone from my office had to drive me. The osteo says I have sprained my neck and shoulder, and has written me a certificate for 3 days!! I am devastated. I've only been at my work for 10 weeks, and have had 2 colds and now this. I really hope they are not seeing me as some sort of sickly individual who was not a good hire.

So, lots of ice, anti inflammatories and rest. Not my idea of fun.

16 comments:

  1. It's a lovely dress, very nice! I hope your neck and arm will feel better again soon.

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  2. Lovely dress. Cute dog - looks a little like my MAGGIE - Border Collie Cross .... hope your injury settles soon!

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  3. LOVE the dress! Maxi dresses are so nice..the fabric is beautiful! How rude of that person that ran into you!!...I hope it heals up soon!

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  4. Oh you poor you, hope it gets better soon.
    I think I need a maxi-dress... really need one... (and a wide-brimmed hat + a trip to the French Riviera...), yours is very nice!

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  5. Oh dear darling, hope you are better asap! That's not so good at all!

    I know 'drape' but I'm not sure what a 'handle' is when you talk about the fabric, drop me a line anytime, or I'll check back later. I do like the longness of this, but can't help but shudder at a maxi, for a short girl like me turns out like a 6 year old playing dress ups.

    But yours looks beautiful!

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  6. Thanks everyone! I am feeling a bit sorry for myself :-)

    Miss Veronica Darling - fabric handle attributes range from softness-stiffness,to thickness-thinness, and roughness-smoothness. This fabric was soft, thin and rough. It would have been a nightmare for a 50s party dress that probably needs a fabric with a relatively stiff handle. Does that make sense? I got this info from my 60s-era dress-making manual.

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  7. I love this dress! Love how you've made it into a maxi

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  8. Lovely dress! What a rude person, hope you are feeling better soon...

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  9. Lovely dress! And love the bow on the side of the tie. Next time you must also show a close-up of the fabric! I have a real thing for b/w prints.

    Hope the neck gets better quickly. Nothing worse than feeling duty bound to go to work when you're feeling poorly.

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  10. Beautiful dress! So sorry about the accident. Hope you are better soon. :)

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  11. Oh no! This is terrible news! I really hope that you are feeling better and the sprain is beginning to heal.
    The dress is so beautiful and will be so wonderful for the birthday dinner! I love it! Gorgeous work!

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  12. What a cute dress! Hope you get better soon!

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  13. Gorgeous dress - I hope you are better soon - have fun Frriday night!

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  14. Very elegant dress. And curses to rain down upon the head of that rude tram individual!

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  15. oh Rachel - I am sorry to hear of your fall - here's hoping you heal quickly.

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  16. Oh there are too many of those types on trams and trains. What an idiot!
    I hope you feel better soon. Nice dress!

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