I've always disliked dressing for weddings. I'm not a dressy person by nature (despite wearing dresses 90% of the time) and I don't feel comfortable in the usual flesh-baring/over structured/frilly/ornate/blousey floral wedding outfits available in the shops. They're just not me.
This is why I love being able to sew. I have the power to make an appropriate outfit to my exact tastes and measurements. It makes dressing for occasions much less stressful. I know I'll still feel socially uncomfortable as I'm an awkward weirdo, but at least I'll be physically comfortable in my outfit. I can also feel happy knowing nobody else will turn up wearing the same dress!
After the storming success of all my Colette Patterns Moneta dresses last year there was no doubt what I wanted to make for my brother's wedding in February... a fancy Moneta dress!
To make the dress more Winter-wedding-approriate I used a gorgeous, deep pink stretch velvet from Tia Knights Fabrics. As you may have guessed if you're a regular visitor here, my green stretch velvet Lady Skater dress was a tester for this dress so I could see how the velvet worked with my jersey patterns.
The elegant scoop back neckline.
For this Moneta I added the tie collar for a bit of neckline interest, since the plain-ness of my green velvet Lady Skater really bothered me, and I extended the sleeves to full length for a classy, winter look. Both the sleeves and skirt hem were catchstitched for an invisible finish and I absolutely love how it looks. It's little details like that which elevate an item to look and feel more special.
I also love how the skirt gathers look on this dress. The velvet has a gorgeous drape and the gathers make a lovely, swishy skirt.
The only thing which really bothered me about this dress was the construction of the tie collar. On my yellow polka dot moneta which has a tie collar I sandwiched the collar between the main fabric and a lining (I chose to line it as the fabric was slightly see through) so the seams were all concealed. On this version I followed the pattern instructions to sew the collar so the seam allowance sits under the collar on the right side (and no lining.) The problem with this is that when you tie you collar, perhaps especially in a slightly bulkier jersey like this stretch velvet, the seam allowance is slightly visible. Understandably this bothered me so I handstitched the top 1/4" or so of the ties from the underside to cover the seam allowance. I also understitched the neckline to keep the seam allowance lying flat.
For my shoes I picked a pair of Irregular Choice low heels. I've coveted IC shoes for many years as I love their weird and wonderful designs but have never taken the plunge. I'm not sure why, other than I hardly ever wear heels and haven't felt like I had a special enough occasion to buy a pair... Until now! My dress was plain and didn't cost much to make (under £20) so I knew I finally had an opportunity for a pair of statement shoes!
As with many Irregular Choice shoes I couldn't decide whether these were the best shoes ever or slightly creepy as the cat looks like a demonic version of Marie from Aristocats, but I went with the former. A cat, bows, a ball of wool, pink AND velvet: perfect for me! Worn with a pair on insoles (I was between shoe sizes) they proved to be comfy enough for the whole day, even for my non heel-wearing feet.
The last thing I needed for the big day was a handbag. I briefly considered buying the matching clutch bag for the shoes but couldn't justify the expense. Instead I made my own handbag, copying the style of an old, favourite, shop-bought bag. I also wanted to use existing stash fabric so I made it from a black stretch velvet originally bought to make something for my Mum at Christmas (sorry, Mum. It didn't happen!) and pink, acetate lining fabric left over from my teacup skirt.
I sewed a sparkly bow brooch onto the flap for a pretty detail and used a snap fastener inside for a hidden closure.
Although the resulting bag looks lovely my fabric choices weren't ideal. The stretch in the velvet was unnecessary and a bit annoying for a bag (although I added interfacing to give it some stability and structure) and the acetate slipped and frayed like nobody's business. In fact, they were horrendous to sew together. Never again! Haha. It's what I had though so I went with it.
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Just when I thought I had finished the bag I noticed that the pink lining had already started to disintegrate at the seams so I sealed it with clear nail polish and handstitched a length of black polka dot bias binding on top. It almost looks like an intentional feature.
Just when I thought I had finished the bag I noticed that the pink lining had already started to disintegrate at the seams so I sealed it with clear nail polish and handstitched a length of black polka dot bias binding on top. It almost looks like an intentional feature.
And finally, what you've all been waiting for... me wearing the dress! On a lit up dancefloor no less. My dress travelled well (no creasing, yay!), kept me cosy and was incredibly comfortable. It ticked all my taste and requirement boxes and even received a number of compliments. Can't ask for much better really!