The Graduation Dress (of doom)

Well, this dress quite near did me in, I must say!  Though I might deserve it for not making a mock-up.  Lesson learned. 

I know, I know, why am I making such a sheer summer dress in the winter?  Well, for my high school graduation next June, I'm required to wear a white dress and I thought, well, why not make one that I'd want to use again?  So I started with the image in mind of the white dress in the Fashion, Impressionism and Modernity exhibit that my neighbor curated that went through Chicago a few weeks ago.  I tweaked it so that the shirring on both the bodice and sleeves were vertical.

Just the facts:
Cotton organdy, mother of pearl buttons, antique lace
Basic bodice pattern, slashed and spread

 (At some point I will add a hook and eye to the waist… Honestly, I can't be induced to now!)

Sleeve-cap-that-desparately-needs-ironing 

Yay!  Done with this dress forever!

I just took my usual pattern, slashed and spread it up and down , gathered it and stitched down the gathers into little tucks.  The shirred bodice at my work is constructed in a similar way.
Unfortunately, I neglected to slash and spread it horizontally to make up for the fabric taken up by the tucks... Waaaay too small!  I had to cut one shirr apart and add another shirred panel to make up for it, and it's still a bit tight around the shoulders.  It suffices to say that unless I let it out or lose some serious weight, this won't be work very frequently.

ebay.com

whitacreauctions.com

Story of a Seamstress (sorry, couldn't find the original source!)

Despite all of that, though, I'm really happy with how it turned out.  I think the style is underrepresented as a high fashion look in the hobby.  And of course, I'll be making an underbodice in good time... Right now that's just my chemise!

Sorry for the crap selfie, haha

And in other news, a winter appropriate article of clothing - a sontag that a fmaily friend knitted for me from a period pattern! 
It's very warm and cuddly and beautifully made to boot!