Here’s my latest project. I see a lot of plaid on the general public when I’m out and about in London, so I’ve been mulling over how it would be fun to wear it. There’s some plaid fabric in my stash, but somehow it just did not speak to me. The idea of a whole garment made of plaid still seems like too much. Maybe when I’ve been in the UK for a couple of months more, I’ll be able to imagine myself in an entire plaid garment.
I used this pattern, from Burda WOF November 07. It is just a lovely pattern. Very simple and well-drafted. The pleats on the skirt are quite impressive. They’re angled a bit, which gives a nice shape to the skirt. And one of the bust darts is rotated to the shoulder, where it becomes a pleat, thus allowing some extra arm movement. Another thing I just love is the neckline. It’s high enough that there is no cleavage, but it shows off the collarbones well. I put some lingerie carriers at the shoulders so my straps won’t show. Really, this pattern was a pleasure and an education in good clothing design.
shoulder detail
The fabric I used is a loosely woven wool or mostly wool that came in a Michael’s bundle from last summer. It’s a nice navy color, which is good to use since black has become so maligned lately. I made bobbinwork stitches on the skirt to resemble plaid. It worked out pretty well, but I found that my machine does not do such a good job with bobbinwork. Even when I really loosened the tension on the bobbin, it still tore my embroidery floss to bits. I had to use a much finer thread to accommodate my machine. I ended up using Kinkame silk thread, which is just lovely. I wound the bobbin with a double thread, so it would show up a little better against the fabric. Looking at this photo, I realize that I need to go over the dress a little better, removing loose threads.
This is the back of the dress.
Rolling in Cloth 