Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Portrait Dress with Lace and Puffing Bands
Sewn for Sarah Howard Stone, Inc.
Daygown with Pink Hand Tatted Edge
Robin's Egg Blue Margaret Dress
Sewn for Sarah Howard Stone, Inc.
Blue Bijoux Dress with Vintage Lace
Sewn for Sarah Howard Stone, Inc.
Examples of T-Cap Bonnets
The next example uses a puffing strip in both rectangle pieces but the back one is a fraction more narrow. Again, the lace is adjusted to omit an inch in the width for the back rectangle. However, the same lace is used on the outside edge of both rectangle pieces.
Christening Gown with Antique Lace and Pintucks
What a delight this gown was to make! In the nineteen years I have been sewing and working with heirloom quality materials, I have not come across lace like this before. It truly is exquisite! I wish I could tell you more about its origin, but I know very little about it other than it is very old lace. The lace is cotton and it is a beautiful shade of buttery ecru. The lace bands are three inches wide as is the matching lace edge on the bottom. In between the lace bands are two 4 inch wide bands of pintucks. Each band has seventeen pinktucks on it. The gown is made with white Swiss batiste. Both the front and back yokes have pintucks running vertically with insertion across the bottom edge. The sleeves are long sleeves finished with entredeux beading and gathered two inch wide edging. The christening dress has a Swiss batiste liner to give it fullness. The gown has a finished length of 36 inches. This dress also has a matching T-cap bonnet made with same lace.
Krewe of the Athenian Dresses 2010
(First published December 7, 2010) The past two years I have made the dresses for the princesses in the Krewe of the Athenian Debutante Ball. This year there will be nine princesses aged 6 and 7 years old. These dresses have been a delight to make. The dresses, which were designed by Sarah Howard Stone, are a combination of Sarah's Tyler pattern and The Bodice Dress by Collars, Etc. The lace portion of the bodice was made using the Tyler pattern. I made a block using the front and back yoke which allows for the diagonal direction of the lace on the back bodice. The Tyler pattern was laid on top of the The Bodice Dress to finish the bodice design. The lace portion of the bodice includes net insertion and puffing strips made from netting. The net edge around the yoke was rolled and whipped, then gathered and whipped on to entredeux. The shoulder ruffles were also rolled and whipped, then gathered on to entredeux. The shoulder ruffles are not gathered around the entire arm opening. The skirt has an eight inch hem and is floor length. The dress also has a built in slip. Each dress will be finished off with a two inch satin ribbon sash.
Pink T-Yoked Dress with Lace Panel
This beautiful dress has SOLD.
Daygown with Ecru Lace and Embroidery
This daygown has SOLD.
Ivory Ragland Sleeve Daygown with Lilac Tatting
Christening Gown with Tucks and Geometric Lace
The yoke has tucks and embroidery on the front and back. The bottom of the yoke is finished with lace insertion which was also used in the bands on the skirt. The embroidery contains bullion roses and leaves in ecru thread. I did not add lace edging around the yoke in order to keep a more tailored look.
The gowns do not have buttons or snaps to close them. They are closed with beauty bars/pins. These pins are decorative pins usually made from gold and embellished with pearls or engraving.
The skirt consists of three lace bands and two tucked bands. The tucks were made on a machine using a tucking foot, two spools of thread, and a double needle.
The ruffle is embellished with tucks as well. Another way to embellish a skirt is to add lace insertion and cut out the fabric from behind the lace. I used this method on my daughters' christening gown.
Pink Mitered Yoke Dress with Puffing Bands
The yoke is a mitered yoke in ecru lace and trimmed in a small lace edge. Ribbon was later added to the sleeves.