Mad Men Challenge - 2

Hello everyone :) I hope all is well! It's good to be back. I've been longing to make somethings for myself so I can do a couple posts but time has not been favourable to me. I am once again a student (in a totally unrelated field- Veterinary Microbiology) and beside that, I've been doing quite a bit of sewing for others lately. Sometimes I think my talent is a bit sloppy so I often wonder why people trust me to make things for them. I do tend to pull out my' big guns' though when people are actually paying me to produce something for them. Sometimes it is nerve wrecking to do work for clients but I am hoping that all these experiences will make me a better sewer.

In other news.............It's MAD MEN time again. I wasn't really on the blogging and following scene the first time around but just as the challenge entrants were revealed I had the opportunity to see all the fascinating pieces. It was just about that time too that I started to look at Mad Men on Netflix, I'm still way behind on season 3 but that's fine; I don't mind. Just to add I'm a big fan of Julia Bobbin and I think she may be one of the reasons I'm blogging today....

So for my dress I decided on one of  Betty Draper's dresses from Season 3, episode 7. I absolutely love her style, as well as those styles from the other; sometimes it's hard to pick and choose. My figure is closest to Betty's so I could actually see myself wearing similar pieces. There is no way I could get away with a Joan Holloway number!

Here is a picture of the original dress. I did a self drafted pattern and I tried to copy things exactly as I saw them. 5 pin tucks on either side, embroidered/ trimmed necklines and centre front, scalloped hem, tiny skirt pleats and polka dots.

 

 Here is my version. I really tried to locate a fabric that matched to original but it sure is a hard find. Those well spaced large embroidered dots on Betty's dress were fantastic. I found a similar fabric on Mood Fabric but I could not bring myself to buy such expensive silk fabric especially when I could not view it in person or touch it. I opted for something I found in a local shop here in Trinidad and Tobago. It's a beautiful fabric, very lightweight and not too difficult to work with because it has a grid like pattern on it which allowed me to do my pin tucks and pleats well.

I look rather tall. I'm wearing my heels...so that brings me to 6'2"

A close up on the embroidery, tucks, pleats and waist tie

Back....You can get a good view of my under slip here. I made it as well. Betty's own shows through as well

Lower half and scallops

An outdoor shot

Bodice close up

For my scalloped edges I used a stencil to mark my scallops then I zig-zag stitched just above the markings. I then cut away the excess fabric being careful not to cut the stitches. This is a great method and I encourage you to try it. I did use interfacing below to stabilise it then I tore it away.

Did I mention that I did all the embroidery by hand. There was no suitable trim in all of Trinidad so I did those stitches, it took me some time over a couple afternoons. Sorry I cannot remember the names. I did two different types and it's a bit inconsistent but they flow nicely together one behind the other.

Special thanks to hubby for the photos. He is a big fan of the dress!

I hope you enjoyed the post and I pray it does not take me another 2 months to get back here. 

God bless!