Mellow Yellow to Mad Men...

So, there I was feverishly working away on a dress, cursing Vogue for calling a pattern 'Easy' when it quite plainly wasn't... or isn't... (The Being still lives in a semi-state of being) when it suddenly dawned on me, it wasn't going to be done in time for the wedding...

Easy? Pah!

...not mine of-course! I'm not onto bridal couture JUST yet!! No - this was meant to be my dress to wear to a family wedding, but staring at it on Thursday afternoon, when the wedding was on Saturday, and Friday would be spent driving up north, well... I had find a scrap of white material in the shape of a flag to wave at the sewing Gods.

Now this is not something I do often, admit defeat. My mother -given the chance - will recount many stories when I've taken something on, not quite knowing how-on-earth it was going to get done in time, only to manage it By The Skin Of My Teeth. University dissertations... signing up for marathons (when I've never run for more than for a bus)... agreeing to take part in a charity bike ride to France... things that seem achievable in the 'well if someone else can do it, why can't I?' bracket, yes! But this simple Vogue dress? No. It just wasn't happening. 
And the blogpost soundtrack for today? Shakira's Hips Don't Lie... Why? The explanation comes later!

Now here's the curious part. Last week I realised my shopping habits have changed on a fundamental level. It used to be the case, if you'd put me in this position a few years ago, that I would have run around a shopping mall, grabbing things off racks, spending an intense couple of hours solo shopping, emerging with something that would do. Now? My first thought is "Where's the nearest charity shop?". I can't tell when this happened, exactly, but I'm definitely all about the Find Something Vintage and Make It Your Own now... And THIS is what I found... 

A lined yellow dress (or 'lemon' if you ask my Nan), by a designer called Paddy Campbell. It's only now, as I write this, that I decided to Google that name (having never heard of it) - and it appears, after a small amount of research, that Paddy Campbell is no longer in operation, but was a mother and daughter design team, with a store off Bond Street, commanding average prices of £400 per garment. Would I have cut into this dress, had I known it's possible retail value? Possibly not. But I did... so... moving on... 

(*by the by, it was a size 16, which was too big for me, and unsuitable for anyone I know - and I wouldn't have bought it to sell, so it's just as well I wasn't aware of it's original price....................)

I pinned myself in, used chalk to mark where the pins were, removed the pins and dress, turned inside-out, and replaced the pins as a guideline for sewing... The pics make it look like there's a BIG difference between where the pins first were, and the inside-out view - but I was pinning, and re-pinning, for quite some time before I was satisfied; that's just one shot from the process!

This would have been much quicker with a sewing assistant (!) - but this is proof that it can be done, solo, even if it does take much longer... and that's also the reason why there aren't as many pics as I'd like. Would you have gone about this differently? Feel free to share (with a comment below) - I'm learning as I go along, with the help of online tutorials, blogs, and Youtube videos - and you, Dear Reader, are part of that process :)

Here are a few original details; the concealed zip under the arm - and the lining, created separately to the outer dress. To avoid adding a new seam in the centre back, I decided to keep the zip where it was. Having said that, the side seam was exactly where I'd planned to take in the dress. SO!

I sewed up the side, cut away the excess with pinking sheers- which included the zipper - and then unpicked the zip from the old fabric, so I could reuse it.

I then re-positioned the zip over the seam, pinned it in place, sewed up both sides on the seam allowance (so the stitches weren't visible from the outside of the dress), then unpicked the previous seam in between the zipper teeth. As a final stabilising gesture, I re-sewed up the sides of the zip (so it could be seen from the outside of the dress), which means it's different from the original design - but it felt much more secure. I'm not sure this makes much sense (in print...) - but it seemed to me the most straight-forward way to make sure the zip was in the right place (given previous sewing projects involving zips).

I also tinkered with the idea of taking up the dress via the shoulders... 

You can see, by this point, I had decided to use the back of the dress, as the new front (much like I did with the metallic dress) - but the problem was that it was indecently low... Taking up the shoulder seam could have worked, but it left very little room under the arms. So, I unpicked the underarm area, thereby creating more room, and - instead of creating a new seam above the arms - pinched the fabric between the neckline and the underarm, pinning, then sewing in place by hand. You can see it created a ruched effect, and also meant the front of the bodice hitched up a little... 

I'm yet to take a photo of me from the back, as no sooner had I finished the dress, than I was driving back to Liverpool for a wedding, and WEARING the dress! That is, to date, my quickest turn-around, and I'm really pleased I took the gamble. Yes, I could have found an outfit on the high street - but there was NO WAY anyone would be wearing the same Mellow-Yellow-to-Mad-Men dress to the wedding, and that was an amazing feeling. It was a little embarrassing hearing my Nan repeatedly whispering "Gem made that dress for today!" to anyone who would listen... 

Would I change anything? Yes - I would have taken longer in The Making Of, if I hadn't been against the clock. I would have finished the inside seams properly, either with bias binding - or even a French seam - but as it was, I finished with a simple running stitch. I would have also made the effort to sew up the lining separately to the dress, as it was, both were sewn up at the same time for speediness. All I can say is, it held up and didn't fall off while I was dancing to Shakira's Hips Don't Lie, THE Ultimate Garment Test, in my book! 

I teamed it up with gold accessories, but would have happily done the same with navy - the only reason why I settled on gold was because that's what I had in! Although I know, deep down, had I wanted navy, my Mum (Queen of Last Minute, Anything You Need I've Got, Accessorising) would have jumped to my rescue... 

So Congratulations, Joanne and Neal, on your Wonderful Wedding Day!

The best part? Well aside from meeting people for the first time, relatives who I'd previously heard so much about, I also got to see lovely relatives I haven't seen in YEARS. I'm hoping my cousin Natalie (with me in the above pic, on the right) doesn't mind me sharing this photo with you; I shared so much with her when we were little... meeting up with her felt long overdue, and made me so happy. My Nan's brothers and sisters were all there (apart from those living on the other side of the world); and I felt grateful to be part of such a warm day... we always say it's only at weddings and funerals we all get together, so I was thrilled to not be working - and part of the reunion. I even got to do my Nan's hair on the morning of the wedding... Not bad for 94, is she?! Love you Nan!