Saturday, September 22, 2012

Vintage Pattern, Modern Style: Marlo's Dress

One pattern, two ways:


This is a great pattern, if a little complex. There are lots of pattern pieces and weird facings. It's from 1976, and one of a few Marlo Thomas patterns I've come across. Check out her illustrated toothy grin:


This was one of the first things I made post-Katrina. One box of patterns survived on a high shelf, a few more boxes were back home with my parents. I loved the Chinese lantern print, and added a red topstitch to emphasize the pattern pieces. It's a "silky print," meaning it's not actual silk, of course, but it's a slippery slinky fabric that can be tricky to deal with. It also unravels easily if the raw edges aren't finished or enclosed in a lining, so it's best to use these fabrics only if you have a serger.



When I made the Chinese lantern dress, I bought the fabric before I decided on the pattern. Later on, I wished I had used a contrasting fabric to emphasize the interesting design, as they did on View D on the pattern illustration. So I used this print with an art-deco kinda vibe, and paired it with plain black.


Lately I've been using random contrasting fabric for linings. Quilting cottons are often really pretty but are too stiff for apparel, so they make great facings. I'm the only one that sees it, but it looks so nice on the hanger.




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