Custom Dress In Progress: for Ailbhe

Working on an unusual draped dress for Ailbhe to wear to her graduation coming up next month.  The shape is based on a dress that my friend Korin and I made previously; we totally winged it with a few yards of silk and draped and pinned it right on my body until we got a shape we liked; and then I ended up flipping it around and wearing it backwards.  

It is a really unique shape, should be worn by someone self-assured and independent; definitely words that apply to Ailbhe.  Oh, and of course she's gorgeous too, which doesn't hurt. 

I'm glad that she was interested in this dress, because it forced me to reverse engineer this unusual pattern.  Took a little trial and error, as I didn't want to take apart the original; and it really made me look closely at how it was put together, and approach it from a new standpoint.  I've even improved upon the fit of the design.  Learning.  Good stuff.

The other challenge has been color.  I've been trying to dye silk to a very bright shade of coral.....alas to no avail.  No matter what I do it seems to come out too orangey.  The word that comes to mind is Pumpkin. ....BLEGH...  Over my dead body.  That will not go out my door, thankyouverymuch.

Hunting in the (very few) fabric shops have also been fruitless.  That is, UNTIL TODAY!  I found a lovely crinkle cotton in a salmon color.  A touch lighter than what the original plan was, but I think it works.  Of course, it depends on whether Ailbhe likes it! 

To be continued....