Make a Dress in Four Hours, Or…A Vintage Midsummer’s Dream
“My soul is in the sky”—Shakespeare, “Midsummer Night’s Dream
First, the Dream.
It’s all about the photos, really. Vintage-y, quirky. Taken on date night, downtown. I can almost convince myself that they were taken decades and decades ago, in some secret garden. They suggest (to me at least) otherworldliness.
And while I like how they turned out after I played with them, I really cannot take them seriously. I was there. I remember very well that I knew not what to do with myself.
Given all of that, I’ve coupled the dream four hour dress with echoes of other, more classic dreams…lines from books/plays I love (except the very last…I’ve not read Dreiser yet, but the line intrigued me).
“In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing.”— from “The Importance of Being Earnest”, by Oscar Wilde.
“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.”—from “The Importance of Being Earnest”, by Oscar Wilde
“There’s an old adage”, he said, “translated from the ancient Coptic, that contains all the wisdom of the ages—Life is life and fun is fun; it’s all so quiet when the goldfish die”. —Beryl Markham, from “West With The Night”
“No, I don’t think I will kiss you, although you need kissing, badly. That’s what’s wrong with you. You should be kissed often, and by someone who knows how.”—from “Gone With The Wind” by Margaret Mitchell
“I have been overcome by the beauty and richness of our life together, those early mornings setting out, those evenings gleaming with rivers and lakes below us, still holding the last light.” —Anne Morrow Lindbergh
And last, Because it Feels Like an Afterthought to me Now… a Post Script almost: The Dress.
I really did make a dress in four hours, which isn’t a testament to my swift seamstressing (I’m really not speedy) so much as it illustrates the simplicity of this pattern. Which is a Simplicity pattern, actually. Any basic peasant blouse pattern would do. I simply lengthened it into a dress, extended cutting lines. That is all. Three pattern pieces: sleeve, front, back. Four seams, four “hems”, three of which were in fact elastic casings (this concept is all about two birds in the hand and a cat in the tree, or however that goes). The belt was leftover fabric, a long wide strip, tied twice about my waist for a sort of…hmm…Grecian effect? Ode to an urn? And the four hours included dying the fabric, which was a gift from my sister Leah, and originally taupe. Honestly, the hardest part of sewing the dress was stringing elastic through the neck and sleeves.
“The whole earth was brimming sunshine that morning. She tripped along, the clear sky pouring liquid blue into her soul.”—Theodore Dreiser
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Is this the quotingest family in the world?! Dad and I will be talking and the out of the blue he willsay something from a book or movie that we have all read and seen. Then he looks at me expectantly….waiting for me to catch on….surely I know what movie and who said the wonderful quoteable quote!!! I just sing my quotes to him. The dress is great….4 hours… even the simplest pattern can baffle some of us! Love you
I think we’d like to think we are the quotingest, but I don’t think so. There are savant quoters out there. Families even nerdier than ours.
You look so pleasant in peasant blouses (and dresses). Why is that? I think it has everything to do with narrow shoulders and a long neck, which are angular words for elegant traits.
I love your dress creation ~ and these quotes! What a wonderful fate for that fabric! Who knew it was meant to be blue? You! Here’s a quote I read today that reminds me of your ability to see past the obvious and discover hidden potential: “Who loves not a false imagining, an unreal character in us; but looking through all the rubbish of our imperfections, loves in us the divine ideal of our natures – not the man that we are, but the angel that we may be.” Tennyson
That is an awesome quote. And it was a wonderful fate for that fabric. I used almost (almost) every square inch of it. Just missed a few of the unsquare inches. (=
So romantic and classic– just like your writing!
Tabetha recently posted…Mastering My Destiny: A Heroes & Generals Review
Thanks Tabetha!
life is life and fun is fun… I know that line, I know the story, almost trampled by an elephant… I love “West With the Night.” A secret part of me wishes that I could have had adventures like she did in Africa. In fact, when I was young, I was pretty sure I would have a horse farm there.
I do love your dress… it seems almost Grecian to me. Very romantic. Did you see my Facebook post yet? I was wondering what you think of a particular musical artist. 🙂
I’m glad we share a love for “West With The Night”. I hope you always, always remember that I am the one who discovered it, and brought it home for Christmas. (= (= I’m sorry I get so behind on Facebook & email…I’ll go see. (=
Love love this dress!!! You’re amazingly talented again!!!
Why thank you Vickie! And actually this dress required no talent, just minimal sewing skills. I think it could be an introductory project (right after pillowcases) in Home Ec. Thank you so much for reading and leaving comments!