BBD..

For those do-it-yourselfers...
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Jack Williams
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BBD..

Post by Jack Williams »

Made this "big black dress" by buying two of the Damart shirt-dresses and opening the side seams on one to about an inch and a half above the side-pockets (saving the pockets for future use), then taking the second dress and cutting a "V" out of each side to above the pockets to full half skirt at bottom each side. Sewing these triangles into the opened up side seams of the first dress gives me a really good extra wide skirted shirt-dress! I bought them in "natural" colour, so then was able the dye the resulting dress black. I then changed the buttons from biggish pearl ones to small black ones.
Here's a photo of the finished product:
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straightfairy
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Re: BBD..

Post by straightfairy »

Very nice. Far exceeds my sewing ability.
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skirtyscot
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Re: BBD..

Post by skirtyscot »

Sounds like a lot of work! Did it take long?

End result is very impressive - what a dress designed for a man would look like.
Keep on skirting,

Alastair
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Jack Williams
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Re: BBD..

Post by Jack Williams »

It did take a bit of time, but pretty straight-forward and well worth the effort. I'll make a dark denim-like blue one next. Probably convert the dark brown one too.
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Jack Williams
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Re: BBD..

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I use "back stitching". This is where you start your knotted end somewhere out of sight, and then go forward, say a quarter of an inch, and then double back on the other side an eighth of an inch, and so on. This is very strong, especially with double thread for seams. Around the bottom hem though, a single thread, with tiny back stitches and about three/eighths inch "bounds" ahead is quite adequite, and can be made really invisible.

Of course after back-stitching the seams, there are the edges to sew together. For this you either use an overlocker, or failing that, "sail stitching". This is where you make a loop from near, but not past, the back stitches and over the top, binding the edges together but not pulled tight. Then you move along say 3/16th of an inch and go through again near the back stitches, passing the needle through the loop and pulling it in, not tight. The thread then lies along the top, and you just proceed along in the same manner. A single thread is quite adequate.
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Jack Williams
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Re: BBD..

Post by Jack Williams »

Well the "Big Blue Dress" now exists. Here's a shot out on the street last week.
I have to say I'm very pleased with it.
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straightfairy
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Re: BBD..

Post by straightfairy »

Very nice. :)
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Jack Williams
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Re: BBD..

Post by Jack Williams »

Thanks Straightfairy, I've been getting a lot of good use from it around the shops here. Haven't had the shirt-dresses into the city yet, just various skirts, but need to go in shortly. I'll see if a friend can take a photo there.
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Jack Williams
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Re: BBD..

Post by Jack Williams »

Yes, have taken both the the blue one above, ("Big Blue Dress"!) and this EastEssence one, (even a Bigger Black Dress!) into the city recently. As usual nobody takes a jot of notice. Disappointing really!
Found a shot of the blue one in town, but haven't yet got one in the EasEssence one.
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Jack Williams
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Re: BBD..

Post by Jack Williams »

Well I got into some sewing today.
I was going to dressify the velour skirt I spotted in a catalogue with the bodice of one of those heavy cotton dresses.
Joining up is not a piece of piss.
The materials are of course completly different, with vast difference in elasticity.
As with the old velvet one, this is cut as for an elastic waistband. Therefore it is cut small to stretch out as nes.
The bodice, however is already recut to fit me.
Bigger than skirt top.
This meant: having the skirt inside-out with the bodice right-side out inside the skirt with the edges matched.
Pinned and looked at in mirror. (This is as long as this lot will achieve!)
Perfect.
So then to sew.
Skirt has a lot of panels, which was good here.
What I did was identify side seams, pin those, then, stretching out, pin all the sections with equal puckering in the bodice so that out to size, they stretched out without puckering.
Not easy I can tell you. Reckon I got it pretty good though. I'll see if I can get a decent photo in it.

Took this one this morning:
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Last edited by Jack Williams on Wed Jun 18, 2014 6:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Jack Williams
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Re: BBD..

Post by Jack Williams »

Yes, in that photo it definitely looks like an underdress.
This vest get's the best out of it.
Dress with vest over:
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