The 'last of 2010' dress

I made this dress literally in the last bit of 2010.

That is, I sewed it, all of it, on December 31th. If I remember correctly, I made the pattern in the evening of the 29th, finishing it and cutting the fabric on the 30th.

The basic design however, which I sketched in a soft pencil which the scanner really doesn't like (I've just added the tech drawing I made this morning), is at least half a year old. It certainly pre-dates that of the kimono-inspired retro-dress.

It had been lingering on my desk, waiting for the right season and the right fabric.

The dress has a sort of empire-line bodice with kimono sleeves and a shawl collar. The skirt is cut in 6 panels reaching up in a point at center front. It has single pleats at the bottom of both sides of the center back panel to create extra room for walking (although the stretch alone might have been enough). There's a blind zipper in the left side seam.

The fabric was bought a few months ago. I don't really know what colour to claim for it. Most of the fluffy outside fibres are black, and it's beige on the inside and some of that it visible too.

It was on sale and very cheap (0,50 euro a meter, if I remember correctly, with 2 meters left on the bolt). I wouldn't have bought this stuff otherwise. It's a very peculiar knit which only stretches lengthwise. So, I had to cut everything on the crossgrain. It is also a mystery fibre with a huge difference between the right and wrong sides. On the wrong side of the fabric, you can actually see the plastic-y filaments which I guess are the lycra threads that give the fabric its stretch. It makes the inside surface a bit rough and the fabric is a bit stiff but, made into a garment, it's surprisingly comfortable. I had planned a lining but decided I wouldn't need one.

Because of its colour, it's very difficult to photograph, so I've added these extra poses in the hope of showing at least some of what this dress is like.