I was out buying light-bulbs when I got totally inspired to make some dresses. Well, this is all thanks to Gossip Girl, which my sister loves, and was telling me just this morning before I left the house how she wishes she was rich and could buy all of those clothes. I thought what better present for Christmas for my sister than a dress from gossip girl! I had just watched Season 4, Episode 6 last night, so with Blair's gorgeous dress in mind, I decided to attempt to copy it, and sketched it quickly on the metro. One thing led to another and I designed another dress for me to wear to the open house of a university I am attending next week...and maybe my concours next year? After all, what says I want to design better than wearing something I made myself...even though fashion isn't really my thing. I think I drew about 5 dresses on the metro, and then settled on one for me to start with for now.
Off I went to the Marche St. Pierre. I had been there before to buy canvas, and it was the only place I knew to buy cloth. (It's in the shadow of the Sacre Coeur, major tourist spot, but also has several of the largest shops for material I have ever seen.)
With only a bit of difficulty I found the perfect golden cloth for my sister's dress. I wanted to make it exactly like in gossip girl, as that is what my sister liked, and I wasn't too sure how doing it in blue or something would go over with her. Besides with her pretty blonde hair, gold should look great!
Shop assistants here can be so rude. It really discourages you from shopping...but then when they have some of the best products..so you have to stay. Sigh.
I am so glad I didn't decide too strongly on colors for my dress before hand. I had a difficult time finding exactly what I wanted. When I found a maroon I wanted, they didn't have enough of it. I ended up with a dark blue, white for the skirt and sleeve ends, and a dark blue lace. Afterwards I went to sewing heaven across the street where they had every kind of lace, ribbon, buttons, and sewing accessories anyone could ever dream of. I was able to find exactly matching thread for my cloths, something I haven't had in many of the sewing projects I can remember.
This is giving me happy memories of when I was 12 or 13 and designed and helped to make costumes for a play. I'd also made myself a shirt, and a whimsical green coat for the "Ivy Queen", a character in some story. However, back then I had the benefit of my mother's assistance, and a sewing machine at my full disposa
And now I am going to begin the daunting task of cutting out my pattern (figure of speech, I don't have a pattern), and sewing it all by hand. And I have a deadline at least for one dress...the open house is on the 6th of November. Wish me luck! ( ...but first I'm going to put in my lightbulbs.)
