Thursday, October 09, 2014

The Daisy Dresses Set




                                   

                                          Daisies by Hermann Seeger, German, 1857-1920

                                       

The mother-daughter dresses are complete and I am working on my own outfit using the daisy fabric from Fabric Tradition.  This is very expensive quality cotton, a heavier weight than a lot of cotton prints.  The print comes in a blue background and also a yellow background, as well as a white background.  It is quite expensive unless bought using a coupon.  I purchased a yard every time I was near the fabric store until I had collected enough.  They look like some of the Prairie dresses at Kattle Kate, so I call them prairie dresses. 

The ruffle on the hem was to add length which I found out was preferred, and I used the selvedge for the hem.  One thing you need to know about sewing with cotton is that it makes the garment heavier than a manufactured store-bought dress,  which is the reason I have little techniques to keep from adding weight to the dress. I avoid doubling the fabric or interfacing or added stitching if it adds more bulk or heaviness to the garment. For example, I only iron on interfacing for the button and buttonhole areas, not the back of the neckline.  I do not put interfacing on sleeve cuffs, and I never fold over the fabric in two layers for ruffles or collars. I use the selvedge where It works so that I do not have to make a hem, for example, on the straight edge facings where the buttons go.


The girls dress has a bow attached to the back to cinch in the waist, which can be removed for growth.

The girls size dress form was hand made, and you can read more about how to make one here: http://thepleasanttimes.blogspot.com/search?q=Dress+form


It also has pockets, which girls like, and I may add them to the ladies dress.  Pockets have to be more heavily stitched by reinforcing them with machine stitching several times at the upper corners. These are the areas that will rip open easily.


This is how I store my patterns in stackable drawers, and there are other categories not seen in the photo: men and boys patterns, sleepwear, accessories, blouses, skirts and aprons.


I used parts of this old pattern for the adult daisy dress.  One thing I really like about some of the used patterns I buy at goodwill is the thoughtfulness of the previous owners, who often iron each tissue piece and fold it with the name of the piece in view. That way, I can get a sleeve or a bodice without having to unfold a lot of tissue and then struggle to get the whole bunch neatly  back into the envelope.
As you can see, I use the zip-lock freezer bags from Dollar Tree to store my patterns in.  If I am in a hurry to clean up my sewing area, all the pieces fit in his bag and I do not have to fit them back in the pattern envelope.  The bag keeps the picture of the garment protected.


David textiles are sold in some Walmart fabric departments, and are a favorite of mine to sew with.  


I received a treat  in the mail today: a book by the same author as one I previously wrote about called "In the Garden With Jane Austen."  This one is called "Tea With Jane Austen" and it explains a lot of history and gives some recipes from the 1700's.  



Picking Daisies, by Hermann Seeger, Germany

The dresses do not really drag on the ground as it appears in the picture. The dress forms are not very tall.

11 comments:

living from glory to glory said...

Hello, I am hoping to sew soon! I think you have done a great job on theses dresses! I am hoping to sew my first ironing board cover for an old one that needs a makeover!
Share with us how you like your new book! So glad you received a gift in the mail today, that is always such a blessing!
Yours, Roxy

Christine said...

These dresses look so beautiful and feminine, Lady Lydia. The patterns remind me of my "second mother", my Great-Aunt Jennie. She had a sewing room full, and I was very fortunate to have her sew many fine things for me. She was a seamstress who tried in vain to teach me to sew, and I regret deeply that I did not care enough at that time to learn such a wonderful skill from a lovely woman.

Christine

Christine said...

These dresses look so beautiful and feminine, Lady Lydia. The patterns remind me of my "second mother", my Great-Aunt Jennie. She had a sewing room full, and I was very fortunate to have her sew many fine things for me. She was a seamstress who tried in vain to teach me to sew, and I regret deeply that I did not care enough at that time to learn such a wonderful skill from a lovely woman.

Christine

Finding Joy said...

I saw some beautiful daisy quilting fabric this afternoon and thought of you. It would have made a very sunny quilt. I would have bought some, but at costs $22.00 per metre I didn't need it that urgently and I had already bought one metre of plain blue for a quilt I am currently working on. Maybe another time.

I buy most of my patterns from ebay and I am surprised at the excellent condition many are in. I like to stock on patterns when I see ones I like, especially when they are only a few $$'s each.

Alex said...

These daisy dresses are truly sweet ~ they remind me of vintage Laura Ashley. You are clever to take pieces from several patterns and make them unique!
That would be way beyond my skills.
Coincidentally, my latest sewing effort is an ironing board cover, like Roxy, above.

You are having such a lovely Indian summer! Long may it last.

Lydia said...

r has left a new comment on your post "The Daisy Dresses Set":

I especially enjoy reading your dress-making posts. I am working on getting hold of some of the clear plastic drawers to put my patterns in. Thank you also for showing how you use selvages to save extra work and do not double fabric for ruffles etc. It is so useful to learn these things

Lesley

Lydia said...

Lesley in England, I liked your post about putting the garden to bed. And I accidentally deleted your comment so I pasted it under my name.

Alex, yes , we are having an Indian summer and so far no autumn colors out here in this area but I am in no hurry. I do not know what I did all summer that prevented me from sewing, but I am doing all my summer sewing from several years planning. I simply have to stay in the sewing room and not get distracted by everything else in the house that beckons.

anonymous said...

Lydia,
your dresses turned out beautifully and you did a great job on them. Thank you for sharing your tips on not adding weight to the dress also.

I thought I was being very cleaver a few years ago putting all my patterns in those big Rubbermaid storage bins. However I found I had to go through each bin to find the pattern I wanted. Your idea of placing them in plastic drawers and labeling them is so much wiser. Again I am still learning from you. Thanks again, Mrs. J.

Michelle said...

I love how these Prairie dresses turned out. I bought the blue daisy fabric in this line a while ago to make curtains. I don't have them finished yet. I think I'd love to have a dress in this fabric also.

I have a question. How do you use your patterns? Do you copy your patterns, so they will last longer and so you will have all the sizes available if you ever need them? Or do you just use the original pattern? I'm just wondering what experience long time sewers have with using patterns and what they would suggest.

Lydia said...

Michelle, I used to wait til a favorite pattern was very worn out and then iron into to fusible interfacing to strengthen it. Pins wreck tissue patterns, so now is use weights to hold the pattern onto the fabric while cutting. I iron the tissue in low stRring, no steam and fold each piece to fit the envelope again or use the freezer bags to put it all away. Patterns are like recipe cards in that you can write notes on the paper with a pen regarding adjustments and fit and anything else. As for having all the sizes, I would suggest when the fabric stores are selling them for 99c each with a limit of 5 or ten, get severa, copies of one pattern just for different sizes. Sometimes I save the cut-away parts that have the other sizes but I never have used them.

Lydia said...

I used the blue version of the daisy fabric to make curtains and accessories for my mothers camper. I have posts on it somewhere around here regarding her caravan and he tablecloth and my visit to Australia.