A Print Dress

About two years ago, the V&A offered fabric reprints in their shop, and I fell immediately in love with this print, called 'Coral Leaves'

http://www.vandashop.com/V-A-Fabric-Coral-Leaves/dp/B00B7KCAC8

The combination of Green and red leaves and twigs captured me, and thanks to the generosity of my sweet Mr R, the postman delivered 4 meters of this beautiful cotton print.

The construction was quite straight forward, but not fast: the challenge being the piecing of the fabric, as it was not sent in four meters, but in 4x1 meter pieces.

Challenge No 2 was my dear old cat, suffering of renal failure who took an unexpected leak on the ufo, washing unhemmed fabric bits caused some additional loss in width, but again, piecing to the rescue: some additional gussets and a fichu when wearing and we were in business again. (The sweet old daft cat left us at the end of June, he's still sadly missed)

The dress is unlined, front closing by drawstring, the back panel is cartridge pleated, and the connecting seam this odd crazy tiny whipstitch we see in surviving garments, what takes forever, but looks so good when finished! The cord to close the dress is made of three strands of white linen thread and three strands of green silk, just for a fun detail. 

First time worn in the New Year 2015, when visiting my friends C & F, to work on the musicians garments for the April ball. Between then and now the dress saw already some good use: to a dance practise, travelled to Weimar and dancing in Schloss Wildegg.

In the grand potager parterre in Wildegg, photo by Helga Váradi

Avec C. In his beautiful 1790 ensemble, all hand stitched by him. 

Photo by F.Robardey