Queen of Peace and Tons of Food

Well hello there, I'm back with a sewing post after this whole drawing extravaganza! I hope everyone has had a great Christmas. I spent two lovely days with family, there was loads of good food and talk, and we even managed to squeeze in some picturetaking!

Some time ago I was alerted to a selection of Christian Wijnants fabrics that had appeared on Mondepot, and after spotting this particular fabric I couldn't get hold of my wallet quick enough. It looks like textured super dark green scales on a black background, it's super drapey but not that lightweight and it just screamed at me. "Make me into something swishy and comfortable! Let me SHINE!"

The occasion for this project arose when Lieke and me (and our loved ones) went to see Florence + the Machine in concert. I had been looking forward to this for ages and thought it warranted a new dress, but with an unexpected trip to Berlin right before that (and some warmer sewing being necessary) I had less time than anticipated. The solution? Turn to a pattern that has worked out really well before and sews up quickly!

I had sort of drafted this dress for Oonapalooza a while ago, and always thought a second version would be awesome (the first incarnation gets worn loads of times and is still going strong!). The pattern is super simple: I started from a bodice block, added a bit of length and width for swishiness and did some cutting to make the contrast panels at the neckline. This time I used a sort of matte viscose for the neck part, which contrasts nicely with the slight shine and texture of the main fabric.

Everything went together smoothly, and the fabric was surprisingly easy to sew (I have no idea what it's made of- my only gripe with Mondepot and the reason I often pass on their fabrics is that they rarely provide fabric contents! This is especially important with online shopping in my opinion... If I can't feel a fabric I want to at least have an idea of what it'll feel like. End rant. I set a piece of this on fire and think it's a mix of silk and poly.) I did cut the hem a bit short, the fabric is a bit stretchy due to the texture and I think the weight of the excess fabric pulled it down more at first, if that makes sense. But hey, my look for this winter appears to be 'did she forget to put on pants?' so I'm just rolling with it.

I'm going to spend the rest of 2015 eating with family and friends, drawing for friends and doing a bit of work, so this will probably be my last post of the year. A very happy new year to all of you lovely readers, and see you in 2016!