Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Little Black Dress Challenge

For the latest Fabricista Challenge, we were to be creative and make a little black dress for our perfect night out. We had to create a story that told where we were going and what we were doing in our dress.   All  the wonderful entries are posted at Fabric Mart Fabrics Blog  Check them out and vote for your favorite,

My mother was a big fan of the actress Audrey Hepburn. And I was born in the midst of her popularity. Hence my name. Several of the black dresses that Audrey Hepburn wore in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s ( 1961)  are famous. So how could I not use this challenge to make a dress from this movie?



Audrey Hepburn - Breakfast a Tiffany's



 One dress in particular, with a sleeveless fitted bodice and a pegged skirt trimmed in feathers, is featured in many books on "iconic" dresses. Two such books are targeted towards sewers.   Famous Frocks - Patterns and Instructions for Recreating Fabulous Iconic Dresses and Sew Iconic - How to Make 10 Classic Hollywood Dresses.

I used the pattern from the first book. Their variation of the dress has the gathered waist pegged skirt like the original movie dress. The bodice of their version has a cowl neckline. A much better style for me than the  scoop neck fitted version of the inspiration dress. And I just happened to have 4 yards of the most perfect feather trim in my stash.




I made the dress out of black wool challis. I chose this fabric to achieve a nice drape on the cowl neckline and soft gathers at the waist, but I was a little concerned a challis skirt would sag under the weight of the feather trim. Fortunately it did not, because the grosgrain tape that covered the quills of the feathers was a bit stiff .I thought the pattern was surprisingly well drafted. The cowl facing is slightly smaller than the cowl and acts as a stay to keep the cowl close to the chest, preventing gaposis. The skirt has shaping in the side and center back seam to achieve the pegged shape.

Fabulous Frock patterns are in 4 sizes,  XS (bust 31") to L (bust 37")   5/8" seam allowances are included in the pattern. However this info is buried in the sewing directions of the dress. The directions are basic and do not include any information on sewing the vent, inserting zipper etc.

Famous Frocks - Audrey Dress



cowl neck



Feather Trim

 
 
There are two rows of feather trim sewn to the bottom of the skirt. One two inches above the other.










27 comments:

  1. Your Audrey Hepburn inspired dress is as classic as she was. What a wonderfully designed and fitted dress.

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  2. So cute! i love that, the hem makes it so unique and fun.

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  3. It's fabulous. I absolutely love the feathers and the neckline. Audrey would have been proud of you! TFS

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  4. Beyond fabulous, I love it. great interpretation and now you have a new dress for the holiday season.

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  5. Gorgeous dress and love the feather detail.

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  6. I have seen this book in the stores but not come across anyone who has made up the patterns, so it is great to see your version...and who has feather trim just lying around! Your dress is beautifully classic and looks great on you.

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  7. Cute dress. I think all these little black dresses will inspire me to make one for myself when I finish the 'bling dress' for my daughter.

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  8. What a lovely dress. The feathers are really fun. Good luck!

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  9. A great classic LBD, just as they should be, love the feather trim. And congratulations on winning the previous challenge!

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  10. It's really lovely and very flattering!

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  11. Lovely dress on you! I love that feather trim!

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  12. WOW!!! What a stunning dress to be able to pull out of your closet and wear!

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  13. Beautiful. .. You did a fabulous job.

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  14. I have really enjoyed seeing your work each week, and this dress is so lovely.

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  15. Love love love this dress Audrey! Another winner!

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  16. Your dress is beautiful on you. Love the pictures too.

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  17. This is beautiful, Audrey! I hope you get a lot of wear out of this gorgeous dress.

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  18. Stunning! You look like a princess.

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  19. You are killing it, Audrey! Your namesake would be proud of your fabulous dress. Love that feather trim!

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  20. Very elegant!
    Might try this with some fabric I got at www.organiccottonplus.com

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