1950's Inspired Dress

I bought some linen with an orange and brown print at the thrift store a couple of months ago.  It wasn't my color choice but I can't pass up 4 yards of linen for $4.90!  There was just something about it that it wanted to be made into a nice summer dress.

So, I began to look around for ideas when I stumbled upon these photos:

I figured something like the above would be perfect but I didn't have any vintage or vintage inspired patterns that even came close to that so....I drafted my own.

As you can see, Abby helped.   The really wide part of the pattern is the front.  This pattern ended up being way more complicated than I originally intended.  I had to sew down and iron each of the pleats to make sure they'd stay.  

Unfortunately, the pleats kept acting up so I'd have to repin, play with the material, repin again, and do this over and over until finally they behaved and I could sew them down and iron them.  The skirt is just a half circle skirt.  Because I didn't have much in the way of yardage, the stripes are upside down on one half of the skirt.  Eh, whatever.

I managed to find a vintage brown zipper that was the perfect length in my collection of zippers (they kept selling pack of ten of them at the thrift store for $1 so...I have a lot).  Amazingly, the zipper went in without any issues.  

Below is a picture of the finished dress.

I'd like to add a belt eventually (and cut the grass later today) but it works for now.  Yay!

Company Christmas Party Dress

The inspiration dress. I saw the dress above on etsy and completely and totally fell in love with it. I love every detail of it but, for my dress, I had to change a few things because I simply didn't have enough time or fabric.

Originally, I tried to create the sides as they were on the extant dress but I quickly learned the extant dress wasn't pleated like I have here.  It was actually cut and then sewn back together...which would involve more shaping that I had time for.

Above is just a close up of the sad state of the pleats before I gave up and took it apart.   I then just measured out a couple of 1/4 circles from the remaining fabric and ended up with.....

This! What you don't see is the gold stain lining and the gold net attached petticoat beneath the dress. I still need to add the zipper and hem the dress but it is in dress form. The fabric is some silk brocade I got at the thrift store for $5.90. The lining and net were from Wally world (walmart) for a little over $15. I think the entire dress - the zipper is one I also got from the thrift store for 20¢. If that, really. So a total of about $22 for a new party dress? Not bad.

EDIT: I lied. It's now $23 because I used some trim I bought a decade ago from Wally World as hem facing tape. I bought about 13 yards for $1 (rather than $1 a yard) and used maybe 4 yards? So it closer to $23 now.

And I LOVE the dress. It's so the perfect party dress. I can't wait to wear it tonight.

EDIT Again:  I wore it and I loved it.  It really is a fabulous dress and I got a ton of compliments on it.  It's just logn enough to still be quite lady like but puffy and fun enough to work as a cocktail dress.