Friday, September 28, 2012

Battenburg Ballet Dress

For the white sheet challenge I made a dress fit for a night at the ballet with  a battenburg lace style design cascading down the front. I wanted the dyeing process to be an after thought, and for the dress to have most of it's depth and detail from the contrasting white bias.
 I never realized how much fabric makes up one king sheet. I cut mine into thirds and dyed 1/3 this soft plum, a color that is sweet, but would really make the overlay stand out. The dress itself is simple with a circle skirt and zipper in the back. About 1/3 of the fabric went to bias production and then pieced into this pattern.
This dress was pretty demanding and I definitely didn't go unscathed during it's assembly. I found out after the fact that the gloves I used to dye the fabric had pinholes in them- bright pink hands are definitely a fun way to start a conversation! And the lace design was all hand stitched before being machine stitched to stay in place. Even with quilter calloused finger tips, my right hand is dressed in a few band aids. Worth it? I hope so. If you have a minute please check out project run + play and cast a vote!

20 comments:

nest full of eggs said...

this is just lovely ~ I look forward to seeing how you did this technique

Jessica said...

It's GORGEOUS! I'm so glad you did it, totally worth it. And yikes, I can't believe you hand stitched it all. I've tried a similar technique and I didn't have the patience to hand tack it, so my design just had to be super simple. But this is stunning!

christina said...

so beautiful! love the color, the techinique...everything. great job!

jacq said...

Definitely worth it.
Love this dress!!
Is there any of the white detailing on the back?
Great job!!

Melissa (Melly Sews) said...

I love, love, love this! I want one in my size! There better be a tutorial

Britt said...

Second week in a row that your outfit is my favorite! So awesome! I love it!

christypintucks said...

I NEED to know more about this dress!! I'm a first time visitor to your blog and I'm just blown away by this - I really really love it! You did an amazing job on this - thank you for sharing, and yes - count me as someone who would love a tutorial, pattern, whatever you've got!! ;).

Christy.

SaraJ said...

Wow the detail on this dress is amazing!

erin said...

i'm convinced there is nothing you can't do. lovely and amazing....

Just Ma said...

WOW!!! Love the color, details and of course the wonderful model--how classy!!!

Delia said...

Lindsay. I am totally being honest when I say I love your dress more than mine. This is stunning. I hope you do a to tutorial too. great job.

Just Ma said...

WOW!!! Love the color, details and of course the wonderful model--how classy!!!

gail said...

just gorgeous, and so original. again, i'm so glad you're in this competition - you're on a roll!!

Emily said...

Wow! What a fantastic dress! Love the design. :)

Priscila@mommode said...

I love your aesthetic. I just became your newest follower and voted for you on PR and P!

kristin said...

Lindsay this dress is GORGEOUS. The design is really amazing, I'm in awe of your skill. Also would love a tutorial though I don't know if I have the patience to do something this intricate! It's so LOVELY! Beautiful photos too - I only wish there were more of them so I could have more eye candy to look at! :)

Heidi said...

Beautiful, Lindsay! The details are amazing!

LiEr said...

Lindsay, I am blown away by your dress. It is stunning. would absolutely BUY it if I saw it in a store. One in my size and one for each of my girls. And I don't say that often about handmade outfits I see on blogs. Some of them are so crazy-busy that I am overwhelmed just looking at them. Yours is perfect. This is by far my favorite outfit in the whole competition!

Rae said...

Simply STUNNING. I love this. Awesome job, totally worth the band-aids!!

:)

Allie said...

This was my favorite last week. SO SO SO beautiful.