I finished this dress and got these photos over a year ago now and completely forgot to post them. It ended up being very fitting when I discovered them on my computer this week, because now I actually have some photos from England to include! I actually made this dress so long ago that the Queen was still alive when I titled the post, and it felt too strange to change the title to King.
I used a modern Vogue pattern for this dress, which I don't usually do, but I really loved the seamlines that this pattern had. I used V1852, which comes with a short puffed sleeve that I ended up taking off because it was feeling a bit too 1980s, rather than the 1930s/40s look that I was going for. The dress has a bodice gathered to a shaped neckline yoke and a flared skirt with beautiful shaped seams at the front that are pretty difficult to see with the pattern of the fabric, but give the skirt a nice shape. I would love to make this pattern again in a rayon with a less busy print so the seamlines can really take center stage and it has more of a 1930s look to it. I would have also preferred to make the skirt a little bit longer, but I think the knee length works well with the stiff cotton.
Royal Holloway University Founders Building
With the theme of the fabric print, I thought it was a great excuse to share some of the photos that I have gotten so far in England! The photo above is of the Founders building of the university that I am currently attending, Royal Holloway University of London. This building was finished in 18** and was created by Thomas and Jane Holloway as a college for women. This was the first college created for women in the UK, and Queen Victoria had opened the building, lending 'royal' to the title of the university.
Russell Square in London, just a block away from my campus in central London
Unfortunately I didn't end up liking this dress as much as I had hoped that I would, so I didn't end up packing it to bring it with me. I honestly only ended up wearing it once or twice before giving it to someone else. I always hate when that happens, but that happens sometimes when you sew your own wardrobe! Since I can't try on the dresses before I make them to see if I like them on, I just have to try out different styles in the hopes that they will fit well in my wardrobe. Now that I have been sewing for so long, I usually am pretty good at figuring out which styles and fabrics I like and prefer to wear, but every once in a while I will try something new and it won't always work out. This is likely why I didn't end up sharing the photos right after getting them as well. But after taking some time to look at the photos again, I am not upset that I made this dress. I enjoyed the process and I learnt something new from it! Now I know that I love the style of the dress and the pattern fits well, I just don't enjoy it in cotton and I wasn't a fan of the colours of the fabric that I made it in. Next time I will be able to make a nicer version that I will actually enjoy wearing, and for now hopefully its new owner is enjoying it!
The National Gallery in London
Thanks for reading!
~Katherine
Royal Holloway Founders Building
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