Apologies for the later than usual Watch This Lace post today, but I'm hoping you'll agree that it is well worth the wait! All the way from The Big Apple, I have the cute-as-a-button Sonja from Ginger Makes! This lady is cool in every way - she does location work for TV and film, she has two adorable Pugs, she's part of the Mood Sewing Network and I think she looks uncannily like the beautiful Lizzie Brochere from The Hour and American Horror Story! Oh, and did I mention she has an incredible sense of sewing style? First of all, I want to say thank you to Marie for including me in this fun project and for sharing this beautiful lace! I'm so thrilled to be a participant!
Man Friend: "You've got to get the gator head into your photos!"
This is actually my first time sewing with lace! Can you believe it? I love delicate, feminine lace, but I'm such a tomboy that I never really feel like I'm pulling it off. So I was excited by this challenge, and of course I couldn't turn down the chance to get my grubby little paws on some vintage lace! My first thought was to pair it with black to toughen it up a little, but that looked a little too "French maid", ya know? Then I spied this creamy dotted Swiss, a cotton from
Mood that I've been hoarding for over a year - a perfect match! I love the way that the different textures play together.
I used the
Colette Sorbetto Top pattern as a basis for this shirt and drafted a front and back yoke. I eliminated the darts and instead gathered the bodice front into the yoke to give it a nice, swingy shape (I didn't add extra volume to the bodice back to avoid looking like I'm wearing a maternity top). The dotted Swiss is quite sheer, so I left the yoke unlined but lined the front and back below it. I used French seams throughout, so it's very cleanly-finished. I hand-stitched the lace just above the yoke seams, and to the back side of the hem so it's peeking out from under the top. I actually really enjoyed taking my time and carefully stitching the lace to the garment - it was oddly therapeutic!
What's the Photoshop command to remove clutter from your home?
It was so difficult to decide on a style and a pattern! I really wanted to do right by this heirloom lace, but I didn't want to make something too "special occasion" that would languish unworn in my closet. So I'm really happy with the way this turned out - it's a simple, wearable top, but it's still special (and oh-so-pretty!).
Thank you again, Marie, for letting me play and for sharing your exquisite lace with me! I can't wait to see what the next WTL-ers make!
I definitely don't want to play Crocodile Dentist any time soon.