Red & Cream Dream

It's getting colder. Not too fast here in Los Angeles, but it's time to start thinking about warmer clothes. I had this old wool Pendleton that I usurped form a giant pile of clothes at a thrift store some time ago.

I knew it didn't fit, and it was pretty moth eaten in some places, but the wool was so bright and lush that I couldn't pass it by. I stowed it away for some time. I guess waiting on it to call to me to make something out of it. I had always planned a hat with it, perhaps a bag of sorts, and when the beret pattern in chambray turned out so well, I just couldn't help myself. The beret was only a sleeve and a half! Yay! Bag, here I come.

I think the striped piping makes the beret so sporty.

More photos on NVL.

But the red and cream idea didn't start with this hat. Actually it was this dress that is still in the works. You know how you have some fabric, but not enough to make anything substantial but you see a remnant in the store and you just have to have it.

That's how it was with this wool crepe I purchased. Each remnant piece was no more than a yard and a half, but I didn't want to pass them up. I bought these a long time ago, and I always planned to make a two tone garment from them, but then I used one of the larger pieces on something else and the one garment idea just fell away.

Now enters my new favorite dress pattern.

After making some stays, I knew I could finally get the dress to the point of awesomeness. I did all the same touches I did on the first attempt, the chambray linen (i'll have pictures of that one soon). I hand basted the gathers, but with the stays, I was able to be more accurate, and i mean isn't that the point!?

I trimmed the front sipper and d neckline with a woven wool and I love the subtle detail of it.

Because the maroon wool (more reddish than purplish maroon) was too short to make the skirt the length I liked, I used some of the cream wool that was stained. You can't see it on the strips I cut for the skirt, so the addition was perfect!

The thing about two tone garments is that they take a while to make because you can get obsessive about the thread matching. What, I'm alone in that?

I matched the threads for the side zip, I'm a dork.

What remains are the sleeves, the hem, and a hook and eye for the neckline. I may make a shoulder brooch for this dress out of the mums pattern in my flower repro. I've been wanting to make that flower for a while and it seems simple enough.

I hope to have the dress completed in a day or two. I'm just bummed that the red of the beret does not match. Aw well. We cant have everything.