A dress from 5 rectangles

When I saw this fabric at Alta Moda in Bali:

it triggered a vague memory, of a dress I'd seen with lace inserts... thank goodness for Pinterest. The fabric is a polyester chiffon with sewn-in lace running the length of the fabric. It came in 3 different colours - a taupe / brown, the pink I purchased, and a green tone. It was around A$3.50 a metre. I almost left the store without it, as I'm not keen on polyester, but at that price....! I turned back and went for it.

Here's my plan of attack for the 2m of fabric I purchased:

Here's the inspiration - and the realisation:

Not having sewn much chiffon, and given the fabric was a bargain, I treated myself to a rolled hem foot to assist. True, the rolled hem foot came in a box with 14 other feet, but again, it too was a bargain - all 15 feet for about twice what a rolled hem foot alone would cost! Thanks Sew Much Easier!

Displaying a vintage board game

My 99 year old Nan is determined to die possession-less. She's Marie Kondo-ing with vigour. Luckily I get to intercept some of the stuff, and see if it "sparks joy" with me. This piece did, battered though it is:

I had an IKEA Ribba shadow-box frame to hand. which fit the board perfectly. I used double-sided tape to secure the board to the back of the cardboard insert in the frame. For a bit of interest, and given I had the depth of the frame to fill, I had my Dad drill a hole in a dice (die), and pushed a nail through from the back of the board, and mounted the dice on the nail, so it appeared to be caught mid-toss. Here's some closer views of it:

A new year, a new dress

I spent Christmas in Bali. Not surprising, as I live in Perth. Here's what the flight plan looks like:

Before leaving, I asked a sewing friend who had been to Bali if she had any tips for me. She referred me to her blog post about shopping for fabric in Bali. I was sold!

So, I hired a driver and set out one day for Alta Moda Fabrics. It was everything Meggipeg had promised. Floor to ceiling fabrics over 4 floors; "floors" being another word for "fabric storage space":

I came away with 4 fabrics, a total of 9 metres. The experience was definitely enhanced by the fact there was a 50% off sale on, so everything was half price. Here's my 4 purchases:

First up I chose to make a simple shift dress with the most expense fabric - an Italian cotton with a waffle weave and a brilliant graphic floral design. I think it worked out to about A$14 a metre and I only bought 1m:

The fabric was so rich I didn't want to make anything too complicated:

In order to squeeze the dress out of 1m of fabric there are no facings, but the neckline and armholes are finished with a vintage bias from my grandmother's stash. (I followed this tutorial to attach the bias.)