Thursday, January 12, 2017

Tartan Daffodil

Now there is a great name for a band!  For me it is the latest Tina Given slip that I have made, so let me tell you about it. . . . .

Daffodil had previously passed me by, but when I saw the line drawings - a slip with a hankerchief hem - I thought that it would work for me.  Pair that with some lovely tartan rayon that I had to hand, and I knew that my next project was good to go!  The fabric is very soft and silky with a great drape.  It does not cling - either to me or other fabric/clothes, so will (hopefully) work really well.


The original pattern has two pieces making up the front (and back) as well as having sleeves.  I thought that it would work well as a one piece front (and back) and without sleeves.


I prefer to to wear a cardi over my slip, so sleeves are really not necessary to me.  Having made my changes, this is what I ended up with:


And I love it!  I actually made it too long, so I folded it up 3" which was one check, and you can just about see that around the dropped waistline level - I like to think of this as a design feature!!



I also found that as my fabric was 45" wide, I had to add a band on each side of the hankerchief skirt to compensate for the lack of width.  In my head I devised lots of different ways to hide the seam - a bias binding strip, black ribbon trim, etc., but in the end, the seam was barely noticeable (I actually had forgotten about it), so I left it as it was.  I bound the arms, neckline and hem with single fold bias binding, and OMG - check out how centralised it was on the centre front.  Totally a fluke, but I'll take it!!


I added a single bias cut patch pocket with a bit of black lace as trim.  Oh boy.  Rayon fabric that has a lovely silky drape does not play nice on the bias.  Hence just the one pocket!!!!


Of course, I added a patch centre upper back (the inside one has my label on it) and I used a scrap of lace (leftover from when I made a bra, see the second one down, here)


And here it is all dolled up.  I took part in a '12 Days of Christmas' pledge wearing Tina Givens designs, and as I was at work on the day I wore this outfit, a bathroom selfie will have to suffice!  I am wearing it here with a pinstriped Patricia skirt (which it appears I haven't previously blogged about) and a black jersey/Lycra McCalls 6168 cardi.  I LOVE this look, and have some rayon in another tartan to make another.

Tartan Daffodils anyone?

Edit:  Further to Lisa's question about having to add side panels, this is what I meant:


The solid vertical black lines are the edges of the fabric with the fold being on the right.  The pattern piece extends outside of the fabric (the dotted line on the left) so I had to cut that piece separately (actually there were four additional pieces, front and back, left and right extension pieces) and then attach them to the main body of the slip.

And now you can see why I sew and I'm not an illustrator!!!  I hope that helps.

16 comments :

  1. Love this! I agree, it is a great look. Red is a good colour on you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is incredible! Your version is soooo much prettier and appealing than the pattern suggests. Great work! and I love that you used plaid.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank-you. I often have trouble seeing how a pattern looks other than the envelope art! This I am really pleased with though!

      Delete
  3. Wow, your dress is fantastic! Love the whole look, it really suits you. Your design feature, the tuck at the waist, actually adds to the look - what a happy accident. (This is M lambie from Stitchers Guild - I hope you post this look over there, too!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the lovely comments - and will do. I've been a little slack at posting there!

      Delete
  4. Love this! A very nice way to be 'holiday' without the Ugly Sweater! And something to wear throughout the year, too. Thank you for sharing the accidents and corrections along the way. That dropped waist could also be an empire waist, methinks.

    I do have one question - I'm not quite understanding the part about adding 'a band on each side of the handkerchief skirt to compensate for the lack of width' - could you add a picture illustrating this with a drawing or something? I guess it's a testament to how well you did it that I can't tell from the picture that's there!!

    Great look!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your wish is my command - I've just added a (very badly drawn) drawing of what I did!

      Delete
    2. Thank you SO much! This is perfect!

      It's what I 'thought' you might be doing, but it's pretty 'seamless' (lol) in the pic, the tartan hides the renovation very well. A great work-around for fabric one might want to use but isn't the perfect width. Or, I imagine, one could piece fabrics together and create a patchwork slip! Eureka!

      Delete
  5. I really like your Tartan Daffodil, both the dress and the name. The outfit looks great. Is there anywhere we can see the rest of your 12 days of Tina?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Dawn. I'm getting the photos together for all the other days so the post should be up next week!

      Delete
  6. Your rendition looks fabulous on you - along with your layering and accessories. I luv that you can see the possibilities in the Daffodil to make it yours. I want to see more too, as Dawn mentions.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love what you have created using that pattern - I'd never have seen beyond the frilly foofy envelope illustration to the interesting structure of the Daffodil. Your whole look in the photo is festive and warm, and very appealing.

    I thought your diagram was perfectly informative, and if you saw the insides of my sketchbooks you would know that you too are an artist, or else I am not either!

    In reagard to your bias pocket - One thing that I have done to make working with rayon easier is to starch it well as yardage before using it. I have been able to do bias edge bindings, and other details that would be a real difficult project by pre-treating the rayon. I either soak it, or spray it well, I use homemade starch that is a mixture of cornstarch and water. I also have to remember to use a press cloth to press it flat with, as the starch tends to stick to my iron. But the result is rayon as stiff and easy to work with as muslin. Once I am done sewing the garment and all the details, the starch washes out in the laundry, and I am left with a garment that is lovely and drapey again

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lovely project, and especially well styled. I LOVE our outfit.

    ReplyDelete
  9. That is a great outfit! You look so put together and elegant...I wish I could look that chic

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

Thank-you for taking the time out to leave a comment - it is much appreciated!

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.