1950s Poppy Print Dress


    

Ta dah! I got my dress finished in time for the weekend at the weekend. It's from the same 1950s pattern as my blue and white duvet cover dress.


The main differences between the dresses are that on this one I made bias binding for the neckline and armholes using the same material (instead of plain shop bought bias), and I added horsehair braid to the hem - my first time doing this. The braid gives the bottom of the dress a more structured shape, which is appropriate for the style and era. I first saw horsehair braid on Gertie's blog, and it is really easy to use.




As this was the second time I'd made the dress and the the third time I'd made the bodice, I was able to get the fit just right.

Oooh, neat and tidy!

I also paid attention to finishing the inside of the dress to a good standard too. I turned over the edges of the bodice seams and used french seams for the skirt. I also made a piece of bias tape to enclose the join of the bodice and skirt, to keep this looking neat - I hadn't tried this before, or seen any advice on how best to finish this section of the dress, but it was a really handy way to get a good finish.


Detail of inside at join of bodice and skirt

The material I used is a printed cotton poplin from Mandors. It was  £9.99 per metre, and I bought 3 metres, however I used the £40 Mandors voucher I'd bought for £16, so both the fabric and thread were covered by that. I bought the horsehair braid online. In the end I only used 2 metres of fabric so still have enough left to make something else.


The finishing touch

My outfit also included shoes from Marks & Spencer via eBay, a bag from a local vintage shop and a green bracelet from another vintage shop which I was given for free (woo hoo!).  In the end my outfit of dress, shoes and bag cost less than £40, which I was delighted with - wedding outfits can get really pricey!

At the wedding (for the purpose of showing my handbag!)

I did have a near disaster in the week before the wedding, when I very nearly ruined the handbag by soaking it to remove some grubbiness, only to discover that the inner stiffening material which gave the bag its lovely shape was, in fact, cardboard! Whoops. After unpicking part of the seam to remove the sodden cardboard, I put a piece of thin plastic back inside to give the bag back its shape. This worked a treat, although the bag still wasn't perfect as it was missing some of the screws and bolts from the wood and metal frame that keep it together. It was like this when I bought it, and I hadn't been able to find any replacement screws of the right size. Thankfully it held up for the day, but it was a close thing.

Cheers!

21 comments:

  1. You look stunning! What a marvellous job!

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  2. You look totally beautiful. Grade A fitting!!
    Px

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  3. It looks gorgeous! I love love love the fabric. I am a sucker for floral.

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  4. I love this dress so much! You look fabulous and the wedding looks like it was fun! The purse, accessories and shoes are all perfect! YAY! Isn't it great when all of these come together? I still really like your muslin dress too--extra bonus!!!

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  5. Oh you look fabulous and the dress is stunning, look at you with your handsome hubbie! It was definitely worth all the extra work to get the fit just right, it looks like a very expensive dress, fab job. x

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  6. What an amazing dress! I plan to make a travel billfold for my husband and I to share for our tickets and passports and he suggested I put cardboard inside for sturdiness. I told him that wouldn't work for that very reason and that plastic would be better, and now I'm going to tell him your story too!

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  7. Thanks Debi Jane and Kristen!

    Yep Kristen, I can recommend plastic from personal experience! I got mine in a sheet from an art shop. The plastic was actually forming a makeshift lampshade for a bedside lamp at the time (after I'd accidentally broken its cylindrical glass shade) but happened to be just the perfect size!

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  8. Absolutely beautiful job and you make a fine looking couple, too! x

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  9. I love your dress! You (and your hubbie)look perfect. Lucky you were able to save your bag from disaster as it works so well with the outfit.

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  10. You look stunning! And it looks like much was fun was had, too :)
    Did a similar stunt once with a baseball cap that meant a lot to someone ... didn't end up quite that lucky, unfortunately. Who knew they put cardboard in the brim??

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  11. Oh yes - it's really lovely! Perfect for a wedding! :D

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  12. Wow, that's impressive! I do some basic sewing but haven't made anything from a real pattern yet. I have a pattern for a dress I want to make but am afraid to do it!

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  13. Thanks all for your further kind comments!

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  14. this is so beautiful and you look fab! I love how you finished the inside too.

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  15. Excuse me while I gush but you look fabulous, really! The fit is perfect and I'm so impressed with your finishing on the inside - really really lovely! Echo what Vix said about you being a gorgeous couple too - how dapper does he look in his kilt?! xxx

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  16. Thanks Shivani and Lucy!

    I was very pleased with the inside too, it was well worth making the effort to finish it nicely.

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  17. it's absolutely gorgeous! A beautiful fit and so pretty inside as well. I very much covet your bag as well, so all in all what a fabulous outfit. Pretty!!

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  18. the dress is beautiful! am so impresed. (am looking through your blog hence all the comments! ha.x)

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  19. I can't tell you how excited I am that I now have this pattern too!

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