The Boyer Sisters

Real-life Advise + Inspiration for the Creative Gal.

What I Made // The Basket of Flowers Dress

Basket of Flowers Dress
Hello dears!
You’ll remember that I alluded to a new project I was working on in this post. This dress is that project. A few weeks ago I realized I wanted a new dress for Easter, but since I had a big commission sewing job coming up, which would take up my machine for practically the whole month of April, I had only two weeks to make the dress from muslin mock-up to the last stitches on the “costume”* slip. Well, I did it! And I even used a vogue pattern too!

Basket of Flowers Dress
This was my first time EVER working with voile and I actually like it! Good thing too, since my next two projects involve that specific material. This specific voile is some vintage 1930’s/40’s Flower basket printed cotton which I got in a lot of fabric which I wrote about here. I call it my Basket of Flowers Dress because the print reminds me of the Lamplighter book of the same title. With the addition of the lace it evokes even more of a sense of the 18th century, the time period that I always imagined the book in.
Basket of Flowers Dress
Basket of Flowers Dress
Basket of Flowers Dress
This was also my first time ever doing a snap placket. I ended up doing two snap plackets, since I needed to do one on the slip for this dress. You can see a bit of the slip in the photo below. For both dresses I used vintage patterns, you can see the specific pattern names in the details below.
Basket of Flowers Dress
Basket of Flowers Dress

Just the Facts:

Fabric: Dress: 1930’s/40’s flower basket printed cotton voile-about $8.00; Slip: Vintage tan cotton from my stash-$2.00.
Pattern: Dress: Vogue 7688-bought at an estate sale=$1.00; Slip: Simplicity 4628, borrowed from Charlotte.
Year: The dress pattern, I believe, is from the mid to late 1930’s, and the slip pattern is from 1945.
Notions: Both the Dress and Slip: Thread-Gutermann=Free (enter our Gutermann Thread giveaway here) // Snaps-Stash=$0.10 // Hooks for the waistlines (I used a thread eye)=Cost not significant enough to include ;P // Vintage Lace = $0.10 // Bias tape-Self fabric, so the cost is contained in the cost of the original materials.
The Inside Details: Dress: All of the seams are either french seamed or french whipped (sounds like a dessert, huh?), and the hem is narrowly machine stitched. The shoulders and back neckline have pin-tucks and the armhole and neckline are bound with self bias tape.
Slip: The seams are pinked and the hem is machine stitched three times. The top has a french bias binding.
Both Dresses: Snap placket with hook and eye at waistline.
Hours: Including making the mock-up for both garments, about 8 to 10 hours.
First Worn: For pictures, as usual 3/31/14.
Wear again? Yes, since I made it for Easter! Though that lace is sort-of itchy… hopefully it will soften up!
Make again? I definitely think I will make up both of these patterns again at some point in the future. When, I’m not sure.
Total Cost: $11.20 for both the slip and the dress!
Frosting or Cake? *cough, cough* Frosting!

Basket of Flowers Dress
Overall I’m pretty pleased with how this dress came out! I didn’t have to take out ANY seams (now that’s a first!), but the lace is a bit itchy. Anyone have any remedies for that??? I can’t wait to wear this dress for Easter! Oh, and another quick tidbit, Jessica made me three flowers, they match those in the baskets on the dress, that I’m going to turn into a brooch to wear with this dress. Perhaps I’ll post about that closer to Easter!
Basket of Flowers Dress

What do you think of my newest creation?
Have you ever worked with voile?
Any tips for softening up some rather itchy lace edges?
Have you ever made a slip to go with a specific dress (i.e. a costume slip)?


Blessings,
Brigid
the Middle Sister and Singer

P.S. FYI For our new readers, the rings that I am wearing are my Promise Ring and a cheap-o ring that helps my Promise ring stay on (it’s a tad too large in the colder months) :P.
*A costume slip, to my understanding, is a slip that is made to be worn with a specific dress that requires a slip of a certain shape to correspond to and complement the lines and fabric of the dress.

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Comments

  3. This is absolutely beautiful! I am in love with this dress. Like Kalin said, I would love to buy one if you start selling! Love your photography aswell, you look sooo pretty Brigid. x

    Ellie
    vintagegal48.blogspot.com

    Reply

  5. hi Brigid!
    thats such a pretty and spring like dress. I love it! i’ve really been into 1930s dresses this spring, with an emphasis on feedsack looking cap sleeve garments, much like this. i pinned one of the pictures to my sewing inspiration Pinterest board for future reference.
    can’t wait to see your entire Easter ensemble. i’m sure it will be perfect. i’ve sort of been planning a dress that i should work into my schedule for Easter as well. Guess i should get crackin’, huh?
    awesome job with your dress 🙂

    ~Abigail
    http://sweetergetsthejourneyblog.blogspot.com/

    Reply

  9. Beautiful! I love the colors. I’ve never had any luck with finding vintage fabrics, but other people always find such lovely ones to sew with. Was it nervewracking to cut into it at all?

    Reply

    • It was a bit nerve-wracking, but I was less nervous than I normally would be since I made a mock-up (always helps when you’re working with a special fabric!). I hadn’t had any luck finding vintage fabric till last year too, and then it seemed like it rained vintage fabric! 🙂
      Hope you can find some vintage fabric soon!

      Brigid
      the Middle Sister and Singer

      Reply

  10. What a truly beautiful dress. You are such a gifted seamstress, Brigid! You have such an eye for lovely patterns and wonderful materials/prints. I hope that one day I will be able to create what you can!

    It’s lovely–the sleeves, the v-neck, the details over the shoulder(s)…and the fabric is so perfect for Easter!!

    Reply