Two posts ago, I showed my progress of drafting a dress pattern from an issue of Gosu Rori and then making it larger. A week ago, I decided it was time to start with the project. I had bought both a test fabric, as well as the fabric I intended to make it with.
And at the beginning, everything seemed to be working. The bodice was fitting comfortably on... but...
The fit wasn't for me. Lol. It's an adorable style, but I guess the sack dress style doesn't fit my body type or length. I felt like a huge tent when I tried to fit the dress onto me, so I ended up scraping it, unfortunately.
However, it wasn't a waste. Instead, I used the skirt portion of the dress, (which consisted of 3 rectangles) and made a fully shirred, rectangle skirt. However, using just the red, plain fabric felt a bit boring, so I added a border by using an old (quite ugly) curtain I thrifted around 2-3 years ago. I did the border by measuring every pieces' width and before sewing everything together into a long rectangle, I sew the border piece to each rectangle piece. I did this because the length of the dotted fabric was very limited and I needed to cut out more pieces for the border, than just one long continuous strip of fabric.
After that, I cut out the waistband for the skirt, gathered the skirt, and then sew it together. I also sew two canals in the waistband, since I only had a very, very thin elastic band and I also think this type of fully elastic waistband looks prettier than using a wider elastic.
So, with the skirt ready and having a few more scraps of the red fabric, I decided I needed to make a head bow together to this cute, yet simple skirt. Just like the skirt, it's made up of rectangles and I have to say, sometimes creating something simple is a relief, especially when it turns out just as you imagined it. I also used some English lace and a dotted silk ribbon to make the headbow "pop" and that it's also matching the skirt.
And in the end, while things didn't go as according to the intended plan, I'm so happy with what I made! The skirt is simple, yet cute and will work for more casual looks or otome. The headbow is something I'm soooo, soooo happy with. I just need to purchase a diadem for it, since I don't have one right now.
