Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The Great Dress Project

Which isn't actually a project, though it is about dresses. And that's as good a name as any for something that's going to weave in and out of my sewing for the better part of the coming year.

In my year-end review, I mentioned how many dresses I'd made. Turned out it wasn't that many, but 11 out of 13 of them were pieces I really loved. (One was so-so, though it got worn; the other was the silk twill Burda wadder. Nuff said about that one).

But what makes a great dress? A dress that you look forward to wearing and make sure is always pressed and ready in the closet? It's a combination of style, fit, color, attitude. It's a piece of clothing that makes you feel good about yourself, that sends you out the door in the morning with a smile on your face.

So my plan this year is to make a collection of great dresses. They can be knit, woven, short, long, work-appropriate or casual, but they must be dresses that I'll want to reach for when I open that closet door.

I have a few dresses in my inspiration file that have been around so long they should qualify as vintage. I'm going to pull them out and see what of my TNT patterns will serve as a base for some of them.

The first (hopefully) great dress was accidentally started last week when I was celebrating the cleanliness of my sewing room. I found a Marc Jacobs knit remnant that I got at Jomar sometime last year, and it started an idea that wouldn't go away. I think I have something here. More later.

3 comments:

renee said...

I started learning to sew so that I could make blouses and jackets that fit. Turns out, what I really like to make is dresses. Go figure. So I completely get the dress obsession. I can't wait to see the goodness that comes out of your sewing room!

Clio said...

OOOh, good luck with the project! I can't wait to see all your creations.

gMarie said...

I used to wear a ton of dresses and then got out of the habit. I really need to start making more dresses - I do love them. Will be following your "project" with interest. g