Sunday, December 22, 2013

The Marfa Dress

The Marfa Dress is my second dress design, so named after the small Texas town with mysterious lights. I made it from a beautiful emerald crepe rayon and lined it in grey bemberg. I feel so glamorous in this frock!





Dress Details

I stayed very true to my original sketch of the dress. The dress features:
  • Six darts at the neckline. 
  • A cap sleeve.
  • A very full skirt, great for twirling! 
  • A lapped zipper. 
  • Lined bodice. 
Oh, those darts were a bugger to figure out! I had 4 versions of the muslin to test the pattern, and it was largely due to those darts. I had a pool of fabric at the end of them, and it took me awhile to sort out how to remove it. I ended up moving the darts 2 1/2" above the bust apex and then tapering ever so slightly about 1/2" above the dart tip.


I also started out with a skirt that was much more a-line. As soon as I tried it on, I said, "FULLER!" So I added 24" of fullness. I'm not kidding around when it comes to a full skirt. How else would I be able to twirl, like so? 


I am really proud of my lapped zipper, which is the best I've ever done. I followed a technique I'll be sharing with you in the Shift Dress Sew Along. 

The Marfa Dress at My Fashion Show 

My pattern making class had a final exhibition/fashion show where we walked the runway and showed off our designs. It was so wonderful, and a bit nerve-wracking!

Here's a video of me walking the catwalk in the Marfa Dress! You'll hear a bit of a secret, that won't be so secret now, about a dream I have in the future. You'll also see me chuckle and make some faces as I'm up on the platform - it was a long time to stand up there and twirl and pose! Except now I see it was only 48 seconds… Hrm.



I hope you all have a very merry Christmas!
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21 comments:

  1. KellyDecember 22, 2013 at 11:22 AM

    Very pretty! It looks very vintage. Have a happy holiday!

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    1. Rosie WednesdayDecember 23, 2013 at 10:51 AM

      Thanks, Kelly D! I'm sure it wouldn't surprise you to hear that's what I was going for. :0) Happy holidays to you, too!

      Delete
  2. Rosie WednesdayDecember 22, 2013 at 4:03 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. Linda LDecember 22, 2013 at 5:58 PM

    Pretty dress-I like the neckline darts.

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  4. AlmondRockDecember 23, 2013 at 5:25 AM

    This is stunning and so unique! Will you be sharing how you fathomed this out? I'd love to hear more about it

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    1. Rosie WednesdayDecember 23, 2013 at 10:50 AM

      That's a great idea! I'll post something up on Friday.

      Delete
  5. LynneDecember 23, 2013 at 10:13 AM

    What a gorgeous dress! The colour, the lapped zip, the amazing darts on the bodice (they were definitely worth all the effort) and the twirly skirt all have me swooning.

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  6. Leigh AnnDecember 23, 2013 at 7:12 PM

    Wow, so pretty! I really like it. You did a nice job modeling it, also! That's so hard--it seems like an eternity with everyone staring at you.

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    1. Rosie WednesdayDecember 24, 2013 at 11:03 AM

      Thanks, Leigh Ann! I know, it really did seem forever, and it was less than a minute!

      Delete
  7. CatherineDecember 23, 2013 at 9:58 PM

    oh that's just so lovely! I didn't notice the neck darts at first, but they are a very clever way to shape the top without bust darts. You look all ready for Christmas!

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    1. Rosie WednesdayDecember 24, 2013 at 11:03 AM

      Thanks, Catherine! I wish I could have gotten a bit better photos of the darts, but the weather has been either crazy sunny or very grey here in Austin, and I'm not that great of a photographer! Merry Christmas!

      Delete
  8. Debbie IlesDecember 23, 2013 at 11:40 PM

    That is such a lovely dress. I love the cap sleeves and the darts are so clever! Beautiful colour and amazing fit!

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    1. Rosie WednesdayDecember 24, 2013 at 11:04 AM

      Thanks, Debbie! Using a sloper as a starting point really does help you get a nice fit.

      Delete
  9. UnknownDecember 27, 2013 at 4:01 PM

    Absolutely beautiful dress! Thanks for letting me know my dress was an inspiration. You look stunning in emerald!

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  10. KateDecember 28, 2013 at 4:09 PM

    It looks great! I especially love the darts. I love how they act as a subtle way of making the dress very unique and different :)

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  11. AnonymousNovember 2, 2014 at 8:32 PM

    This is GORGEOUS! I'm assuming you rotated the darts from the waist/bust, to the neckline? I'm dabbling in some pattern manipulation at the moment, though my sloper so far is princess seams only, which makes it a touch trickier

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    1. Rosie WednesdayNovember 2, 2014 at 9:13 PM

      Thanks so much! Yes, I rotated the dart from the waist (I've got a little animated gif of how I did it in the next post: http://rosiewednesday.blogspot.com/2013/12/making-marfa-dress.html). Did you make your sloper from scratch, or get it from somewhere?

      Delete

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