Not the right era, but whenever I think speakeasy I think of this song. Plus: Ella. 'Nuff said.
Why would I be thinking of those dens of iniquity, you ask? Bees Knees Dance hosted a 1920s rent party/Speakeasy Friday night. I got off my duff long enough to make an overdress out of some of really lovely grey-green stretchy net embroidered in dark silver from the sari store in Little India in May. The construction was very simple: I used the Sorbetto pattern as a base, eliminating the front pleat and bust darts (yay!), making it a v-neck, and lengthening it to below-the-knee length. I also made the back neckline more square-shaped. The bottom embroidery ends in some delicate scallops, which meant no hemming when I trimmed the rest of the fabric away. I had just enough leftover embroidery to trim the neckline, although I had to use different rows for the front and back. The only hemming I had to do was at the armholes, where I used my rolled hem foot more to make it look finished than anything else.
I didn't have enough time to make the underdress out of the green satin I bought at the same time (because I took a nap instead of sewing), so I wore a definitely-not-period grey dress underneath. I made a sash and head wrap out of the green fabric, and I'm fairly pleased with how the whole thing turned out. I'll get around to making the green underdress in a week or two and take some better pictures.
The speakeasy was a great deal of fun. They had pulled out all the stops. There was a password...
Furious activity at the (legal) bar...
Even a raid.
Someone brought a reproduction of a 1927 Eaton's catalogue. So much fun to go through. It had 15 pages of fabric! Also hats and shoes to die for. And a thresher or two, if that's more your style.
Props, burlesque, gambling (I broke even), cigarette girls, a shooting gallery, and, naturally, terrific music provided by Roberta Hunt. It was a great evening.
If you want to see the rest of the pictures, click on the name below the thumbnail below and scroll down to the door. No password required.
Why would I be thinking of those dens of iniquity, you ask? Bees Knees Dance hosted a 1920s rent party/Speakeasy Friday night. I got off my duff long enough to make an overdress out of some of really lovely grey-green stretchy net embroidered in dark silver from the sari store in Little India in May. The construction was very simple: I used the Sorbetto pattern as a base, eliminating the front pleat and bust darts (yay!), making it a v-neck, and lengthening it to below-the-knee length. I also made the back neckline more square-shaped. The bottom embroidery ends in some delicate scallops, which meant no hemming when I trimmed the rest of the fabric away. I had just enough leftover embroidery to trim the neckline, although I had to use different rows for the front and back. The only hemming I had to do was at the armholes, where I used my rolled hem foot more to make it look finished than anything else.
The speakeasy was a great deal of fun. They had pulled out all the stops. There was a password...
Even a raid.
Someone brought a reproduction of a 1927 Eaton's catalogue. So much fun to go through. It had 15 pages of fabric! Also hats and shoes to die for. And a thresher or two, if that's more your style.
If you want to see the rest of the pictures, click on the name below the thumbnail below and scroll down to the door. No password required.
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| From Toronto Bits of Heaven |
Oh wow looks like so much fun!! And, your dress came out just lovely!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It was a lot of fun. Am I'm quite happy with the dress.
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