How many white outfits does a person really need?

Several, apparently.

I was not going to sew a new white outfit for this year's Dîner en Blanc (which is this Thursday). I mean, who needs a tonne of white easy-to-dirty clothing, right? Well, I bought this slippery polyester pre-pleated stuff last year at Len's Mill Outlet along with the fabric for the Butterick 6582s after the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory with the thought that it would make a nice skirt. And then sat on it. When I was looking at the pleated fabric prior to making the skirt for my 9-in-6 challenge and thinking how I wanted to make a top to go with it and since I need an event to push myself to finish the outfit... and it's white... and I have a dinner in white coming up... you get the idea.


On to the sewing. First of all, this stuff does not fray! No hemming or seam finishes! I am very excited by this. It is rather sheer, and I originally planned to line it with basic white polyester lining, but then I saw that doubling up the fabric makes it much less sheer and preserves the stretchiness and flow of the fabric, so I decided to do that. Also because it's easier and I had a lot of fabric. My pattern options were very limited by the fact that the fabric is pre-pleated. I cut one rectangle wide enough to skim my hips without clinging and pleated the waist into a ribbon waistband that sits just below my navel. One side-zip later, the skirt was done. I discovered the secret to working with this fabric and not have skipped stitches is to go slow and stretch the fabric in every direction. Haha! Conquered! Or so I thought.^*


I like the way it sways when I walk. Alas, my shapely thighs, hips, and butt preclude the whole "hanging straight down like a Grecian column" thing I was going for. Because I wanted the skirt to sit below my natural waist, I had to take two tucks in the front and one in the back to get it to lie flat, which rather ruins the clean line. And that is why waistbands are contoured. Oh well. It was a risk I was willing to take.

I'm not quite so happy wit the pleats in front. They tend to pooch out a bit.

The top took a little more thought. I wanted kind of a Greecian look, but I wasn't sure if I should go halter-top with a full or low back. I was worried that a low back would gape, but went with it because it's easier, and also because I didn't have enough fabric. Two rectangles and a trapezoid. What could be simpler, yes?


Ugh. This top did not want to get made! The regular needle, which worked fine on the skirt, absolutely refused to sew the top. Skipped stitches? I would get one or two anchored but then the rest was double dutch. So frustrating. I rethreaded the top and bobbin threads. I cleaned out the bobbin case. I changed the tension. Nothing. Maybe the needle was too dull all of a sudden? I changed the needle. Then I started trying different needles. I started thinking I was going to have to hand-sew the whole top. Finally I tried a ball-point needle, even though this is a woven, and it worked. But I had to sew really slowly to avoid skipping stitches (and even then, I had to resew several sections). I kind of wanted to poke out my eyeballs, it was so tedious.

If I ever suggest working with this stuff again? Take away my sewing machine until I come back to my senses.

For all that, I'm fairly pleased with how this turned out. I basted the sides to see the fit, and I had to abandon the straight up and down here as well. I needed to take in a few inches on each side so that it didn't gape (on me, side-boob has the potential to turn into whole-boob), but it still needed to be wide enough to more or less clear my hips. It still looks fairly straight, even so. It ripples in the back because it hits my butt, and I've decided to be okay with that.

I should have rounded the top where the tie meets the neck because it makes for a weird angle when I tie it up, but oh well.

I was always going to make a new pair of earrings for this year's DeB, and I decided on these Timeless Teardrops from Step by Step Wire Jewelry April/May 2012.^** This was my first attempt at chain maille, and I think I'm ready for more complicated techniques. It's fiddly, but straightforward. I made all 74 jump rings out of 20 gauge sterling silver wire. That was not so much fun, but I think I might be getting kind of okay at rings whose ends actually meet when closed. I used Swarowski pearls because regular pearls were too creamy.

Quick note about the shoes, which I did not make. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on white shoes, because me + white shoes = scuffed white shoes, so I was really happy when I found these in Paris last summer for 5€. I thought they were a little plain, so I took the little white flowers off some hair combs and sewed them onto the toe straps.

I am debating whether long or short gloves would be too much. I still have to make the fascinator for the evening. I'm still not entirely sure what I'm going to do, because I want to maintain the elegant thing I seem to have going on. Feathers will be involved.


^*This is called foreshadowing.

^**I got a deal on 6 years of back issues, so I have plenty to keep me occupied for a while, jewellery-wise.