Summer Sunflowers

My Super Model decided she wanted a "Sunflower" dress, and so I ventured forth to find suitable sunflower fabric. There was quite a lot of quilting fabric, (which is not usually suitable for clothes) but not much dressmaking fabric around. Eventually, after much scouring of the internet, I came across some delightful sunny stuff at a reasonable price in my local fabric shop; such is the way of the world!  Having got the young lady's measurements I proceeded to make a "muslin" as it is known. This is basically the dress made up in a cheap fabric in the required size which is then fitted to the person, before using the "real" fabric.

The only snag was that my model kept moving around the country, so after the first trial muslin was sent to her, and photos and said muslin were duly returned, it was obvious that it would have to be re-cut and re-shaped to get a perfect fit. This is not an easy task when one doesn't have one's model to hand. A second muslin was made up and sent off, but the ensuing photos still didn't quite come up to the mark, although it was much closer than the first one - everyone's body-shape is so different, this is why buying off the peg only works for a few! However, we had dithered long enough, and as I was never going to pin this model down in my vicinity, I decided to take the plunge and make the adjustments by eye, and get the dress made up and sent off.

I was relieved to hear that it was a perfect fit - she had specified certain features, the neckline, the sleeves (which got changed half way through to a style I'd never made before, but which turned out really well) and the skirt shape. I had suggested princess seams for the bodice, as they create such a flattering line, and she ended up delighted with it.

Doesn't she look lovely, and she's even found a stylish pair of shoes to go with it!