Monday, January 21, 2013

Red Vintage Slip Reveal (Phew! Finally!)

This slip took so much more time than it warranted!  So, without further ado:



He he he.

Moments after finishing my slip, I started thinking about blogging the finished project. And I got a little, um, nervous. Posting anything on the internet is like squeezing a tube of toothpaste: once you squeeze, there is just no getting that toothpaste back in the tube. It's out there for good. Like pictures of me. In a slip. Shudder. That said, it's a pretty modest slip. But I may live to regret this. 

Oh, I should apologize for the uneven quality of the photos. I had to shoot indoors for obvious reasons.

I was trying to channel 1943, the year the pattern was made, as if I was getting dressed for my day. Rituals of all kinds, including beauty rituals, can be calming.



  Like doing hair and makeup. 




Deciding what to wear.



  Saying "honey do I look ok?"

 Wow, in 1943 women were much higher maintenance than I am! OK, here are some detail shots.

I love how this came out!

 After some waffling, I decided to add a second layer of lace trim to strategically hide the hole.  I simply sewed it with a narrow zigzag stitch at the top and bottom of the lace, and then trimmed away the silk from behind it.

I'm really happy with the back too.

For the straps, I decided to diverge from the pattern's simple, wide and straight straps. I was inspired by this slip that I had pinned. Three spaghetti straps are braided to about the shoulder and then splay out and crisscross across the back. You can see the braided front straps a bit here:



I finished all the seams by pressing them to one side and topstitching with silk thread. I think it worked out well. There is a facing around the neckline/back. I also topstitched the neckline/back to finish it. 



This is my first (only) vintage pattern, and I can see why some sewists really love them. The fit out of the envelope was much better than most of the modern patterns I've used. I think that modern patterns generally have a larger full bust measurement for the same size waist, but not a larger cup size. I usually have to take in a huge amount across the back and at the sides, but then do a little FBA in the front. On this pattern I only needed to take in the sides and back a smidge, and was able to accomplish the FBA by just letting out/shaping the princess seams over the bust with the seam allowance. So, three cheers for vintage!

Anyway, my slip is now tucked away with all my other pretties.



Frosting Diet: In frosting terms, I'd say this is like the cream cheese frosting that you'd spread on a red velvet cupcake. A silk slip is definitely frosting in my book! Silk feels so luxurious on and the layered lace hem and crisscross straps really add to the glamor of this slip. Plus, it's red instead of beige or black. As I was sewing, I kept thinking of the red petticoat that Rhett Butler gives Mammy in Gone With the Wind. I'll definitely feel special wearing this, like it's my supersuit under my clothes.

I'm glad this is done and thrilled to be wearing it. Unlike me, I hope you are all enjoying MLK Day at home! Next up is the Cake Giveaway winner.

27 comments:

Evie said...

Gorgeous!

Karin said...

Fun series of pictures! And nothing that should end up someplace dodgy!
I like the way the hem turned out in the end. The back straps are a real show stopper!
Interesting observations about the fit of vintage patterns too.

marcy harriell | oonaballoona said...

pretty pretty!! and just think, you prolly showed more skin in your cabana stripey.

Elle C said...

The slip looks lovely and so do you. I love the straps, good call on the change.


You don't have a thing to regret about this photo shoot. Really.

HouseOFpinheiro said...

its very beautiful and modest.Its hard to blog more intimate projects but this is very elegant, so don't worry!

Ginger said...

Mmm... cream cheese frosting.... sorry, what? Got distracted for a moment there! This is absolutely lovely! Nicely done!

Kimbersew said...

hot damn! Look how gorgeous you are!! and entirely tasteful to boot- and such beautiful work!

T. Sedai said...

This is fantastic! I am glad you were able to fix the mistake - the double row of trim looks very pretty! And the fit is perfect. I haven't ever tried vintage, but now I am thinking that maybe I should start looking at some of those patterns...

Clio said...

Yeah, I kinda distracted myself too. I think I need to bake something I can frost soon.

Clio said...

Thanks! I really wanted it NOT to look boudoir-ish!

Clio said...

Yeah, after this slip, I'm very open to the idea or more vintage if I can find styles that I like and think are modern enough for me.

Clio said...

Thanks! I should make an effort every so often to wear my hair up and put on a little red lipstick. ;-)

Andrea said...

So beautiful! You look gorgeous in your slip!

Sue K said...

This is really pretty. Thank you for sharing the journey, and the completion photos. I think the second row of lace, with the corresponding cutout was a fabulous solution and it looks deliberate.

Gwen said...

That's a beautiful slip. Sometimes, mistakes end up being the best thing that could have happened!

AllisonC said...

It's gorgeous! I really love the strap detail you added and I think I even prefer it with two rows of lace, what a brilliant save!

Catherine Daze said...

Wow, the strap detail is amazing! The photography is beautiful and tasteful too.

Tia DIa said...

It's gorgeous! I so love the back and what you did with the straps. Wow.

puu said...

clio, there's such a wonderful glamour about the red slip and i love how you played with that in your photo shoot. i love your finished product! kudos!

Elizabeth Larsen said...

That is stunning. Truly beautiful. I love that you added the braided straps. Great idea!

Karin said...

Your slip looks fantastic! The double hem looks great, not at all back-handed. And the net of straps in the back is beautiful; really special.
I think your series of pictures looks sweet; nothing dodgy about them.

Meg the Grand said...

Stunning! Love the color so much, and I love how you added more lace to cover the hole - the length is perfect! Those straps add such a fabulous flourish to the back - well done!

Sheila Powell said...

Absolutely gorgeous... love the color.

Maggie Smith said...

Great job! I love the second layer of lace, that turned out beautifully! See, clearly this was all meant to happen...or at least that is what we should think ;)

Rebecca/WannabeSeamstress said...

This is gorgeous! I love the criss crossed straps in the back.

poppykettle said...

soooo gorgeous. I'm so loving how the second layer of lace hid that darstedly snip! It looks better for it, so we may just have to say that the snip turned out to be a good thing! Phin was totally on the money. I totally love the shot of the back with you 'doing your hair' - you look awesome!

lisette said...

What a great save! It is very beautiful and you look beautiful in it.