Showing posts with label art nouveau. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art nouveau. Show all posts

Sunday, 11 May 2014

From So So to Art Nouveau....

Sorry about the title, I couldn't help myself......

Things have been hectic, to say the least this last month, but before things went manic (in a good way!!!) I got myself over to Amsterdam to celebrate my birthday...

Happy birthday to me!


It's such a great city! I only saw two chain stores the whole time I was there. The place was full of small little independent shops, galleries and (this was the clincher), people opening up their basements and living rooms and just selling stuff! I was in op shopping heaven! I managed to score a very great fedora hat (my head is very small and I have been searching forever to find one that fits) for 10 Euro from a very colourful lady named Karen doing a dismal Aussie accent, and this......


An amazing print on what is a hand made maxi skirt. I fell in love instantly.

A closer look.....

Beautiful!!!
All for a fiver from an old guy selling everything from out of his living room. Brilliant!

This was perfect for a sixties-esque style dress that I had had in mind for some time. 

And, on the plus side, it was also going to be an easy refashion.

I started by unpicking the skirt and laying them out on the floor, thus eliminating any seams. It was a 70s rayon material with a slight stretchiness, which worked for me (I didn't need to put a zip in!).

I lay a slip over the top that was the right structure for the garment I wanted and fitted me perfectly. I cut out the two pieces, keeping in mind that I was going to dart the bust and needed an inch of seam around the whole garment - I kept the original hem around the bottom.



I then hemmed the neck and sleeves and stitched two darts on either side of the garment at the bust.



I popped it onto my dress form to check both whether it needed a zip (it didn't - hurrah!!) and that it fit well. As both were positive, I stitched the hems together, did a quick zigzag 'overlock' and it was done! I wore it to my leaving drinks on the last day of my old job (but sadly forgot to take any pictures!).

These are picci's of the finished dress before I headed out....




Thanks for reading!

 ☽AliceSaysNo☾