Jun 26, 2014

Finishing the red rayon dress + photoshoot prep



Good news! Except for sewing in the shoulder pads, Cathy's new frock is finished.



Rather than hem the short sleeves, I added my own bias tape.  It gives the sleeve edges a bit more heft.



As you can see up top, I also made a self-fabric belt.  It's faced with a poly charmeuse I wish I had never bought -- it's too thick for most projects.



We're going with the red gloves, I think, and some tasteful bling.



With the summer sun and Cathy's fair complexion, a picture hat is a must.  But Cathy's only light-colored summer hat is a shapeless affair with more of a Thirties feeling than a Forties.  What to do?



I happened to have some wire specifically made for hat brims, purchased back when I thought I might try making my own vintage-style hats, which never happened.



I measured the circumference of the hat, cut off a piece of wire, and stitched it to the hat edge with a dense zigzag stitch.  Now I could shape the hat how I wanted and the shape would hold.





What I wanted was something like this -- quick, name that movie!





Here's what I was able to come up with -- still a work in progress but getting there.





If Cathy doesn't oversleep or break out in hives, we're shooting this outfit tomorrow; please pray for partially sunny skies and cool river breezes.  If all goes well, we may shoot some video for Sunday's vlog -- Cathy's film debut!

Finally, I couldn't resist this well-priced accessories pattern on eBay yesterday -- I blame my cousin.



Have a great day, everybody!

20 comments:

  1. Now Voyager.. Nurse I suspect your a treasure. I love her outfits in that movie. (very low slung bosom) That one black hat is very Coronoer of Munchkin land. Cathy will be chez Anita Colby. Can't wait to NY's finest in her ruby red dress.

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  2. oh, the hat is soooo much better now

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  3. The colour of the fabric you are using is divine. I love that hat in Bette, I suspect what you need is a good hat block to get the shape. She has a very wide head and It looks like it's perched on her head rather high.

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  4. A thought: Try pulling the hat wire in a little so that it is shorter in circumference than the hat brim itself. Maybe it will make it "bell" a bit like you want.

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  5. Hat Brim wire... how do you know these things? That is so perfect! I would have never thought of that.

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  6. That's Miss Vale of the Boston Vales!

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  7. I can't wait to see the finished product! I love the new accessories pattern!!!

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  8. So excited to see Cathy's dress! I am sure she will feel like a million bucks - and a gorgeous 40s starlett!

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  9. Belts are no fun.Hats? Oh yes! I look forward to seeing the photos, and those hats.

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  10. Oh lord, that pattern is following me around the web! I'm glad you snagged it, now you have to do it proud. And given how the hat you're showing off is turning out, that is a given. I believe the hat Miss Davis is wearing is perched on her head so we may see more of her face. Orry Kelly would have done that.

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  11. and that marvelous Franklin Pangborn in the second still in the back.

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  12. I can't wait for Sunday!

    Judy

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  13. Such a smart fix for the hat!

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  14. The hat is much better with the added wire...I have a garden hat that would benefit from adding it. Are you going to add a band to the hat? Red might be too expected, but what about another color in the dress?

    JustGail (having Google log in problems)

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    1. It will probably be plain; I've tried ribbons and such but I don't like the results.

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    2. Seems like a lot of ribbons don't fit properly around the band and sag or gap-- yuck. I've seen hot glue used to fix that, but I don't like that either. Using a silk scarf or band cut on the bias has enough elasticity to look good, though. You totally saved this hat with the addition of the wire. I've never used that method-- zig-zagging, I usually made a casing in the edge of a cloth brim.

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  15. Can't wait for Sunday or the photo shoot.

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  16. Apologies if you have already covered this - I am new to your blog - how do you make your own bias tape - do you use one of those little gadgets I have seen? Gemma (UK)

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    1. No, I just cut an approx. 2" bias strip and only fold it after I stitch.

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  17. Thanks for the hint on bias Peter - I love your style :-) Gemma

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