Hey Peeps!
So my niece aka Small Girl Type Creature turned eighteen years old on the 2nd of May…..what!?!? Eighteen?? When I asked if she would like a dress for her birthday she said she would so I started planning. About three years ago my Mum gave her some beautiful dupioni silk for Christmas which she had brought home from Saudi…..
……and it’s gorgeous, lovely to work with (I’m glad to be getting some more practise in as I will be making Big Birds wedding dress out of this material…..EEEEP!) and soooooo beautiful. Dupioni silk is often woven with differing colours of threads scattered through the warp and weft which gives the fabric an iridescent effect this one has black and red.
When I was deciding what to make I roped in Big Bird (SGTC’s Mum) for some advice and we thought that the By Hand London Elisalex would be prefect. I already had SGTC measurements from her Deer and Doe Belladone Christmas dress (it’s the most awesome Star Wars print….I must get some more pictures of that so I can share it with you) and luckily she fit’s exactly into a By Hand size too so I traced it out and started cutting……
….the whole dress came together very quickly which was good because in usual Siân fashion I left it to the day before I needed it to start (really need to work on that). By the end of the evening all that was left to do was hem the sleeves and skirt to her desired length so I took it up to London but unfortunately I didn’t get to fit it on SGTC as we were staying so far apart from each other, boo. I shall be seeing her very soon though (I hope).
I’ve christened this dress the “Rhianasuar” when I first finished it I wasn’t 100% sure if I loved it or it was way too much……
…..but after to speaking to Papa and Big Bird I’ve decided it’s totally awesome and I need one for myself! Luckily Mum has given me quite a few lengths of different coloured dupioni silk over the years and I’ve only used two so far (that is actually green on the left!)…..
……both of these dresses are the Butterick Retro B6582 which I love, both with the full skirt and the pencil skirt (I have plans for another pencil skirt version with some gorgeous brocade Mum gave me). I now have these colours of the dupioni left…..
…….as well as a length of black which Mum bought me for my birthday this year. I’m thinking an Elisalex all of my very own with the orange but I’m not 100% sure about the blue and black, any suggestions? Now all I need is somewhere to wear all these fancy dresses!
It looks fabulous, that silk is just gorgeous, I am sure she is going to love it! I have had that By Hand London dress pattern for ages but have been putting off making it as I was dubious about the shape of the skirt, though after seeing your version I think I am sold!
Rhi does love it (thankfully). I was the same as you but having seen it in real life I do think it's awesome 🙂