31 January 2009

Dress Rescue Part Deux

Untitled-1

I recently ran across this little wisp of a dress that was begging to be rescued. I love the eyelet lace, the pretty zig-zag seaming on the skirt and the little flutter sleeves. It's from the 30's and is definitely showing its age. It's a little dingy but nothing a good soaking and some sun bleaching won't take care of. The worst of it is the hole right at the neckline. I was hoping some creative stitching would take care of the problem but on closer inspection I realized that wouldn't do. A little brainstorming and I came up with the idea of attaching one of the vintage hand crocheted collars I found on my last trip to 'Bama. I pinned it in place to get an idea of the final product and I think I'm diggin' it. What do you think?

By the way, my last dress rescue project is still in the works (slow, I know). I'm so thankful for all of you giving your wonderful suggestions. After a bit of wavering back and forth I finally decided to go with the idea of sewing a pretty, wide ribbon around the hem to cover up the paint spots. A special thank you to whoever suggested that because I don't think I would have ever come up with that on my own. I'm on the lookout for the perfect ribbon but I haven't found one yet. Thus, the lack of progress.

28 comments:

Sam said...

De dress is beautiful! And the collar idea is great! I love how it looks together. First when I saw it, I thought it belonged together

LauraK said...

Lovely so far - how about small bit of a vintage corsage at the the throat?

Evangeline said...

That is so cute! I love the collar!

Anonymous said...

love the dress, definitely worth saving and the collar was a great addition

Amelia said...

That dress looks gorgeous. The collar is a perfect addition.

Lexie said...

oh you are not only creative but handy!

Unknown said...

The collar is a perfect addition, go for it!

J said...

It looks perfect with the collar!

Abigail said...

if you are a bit iffy about sewing the collar on to the dress you could always but that little bit of the neckline that is keeping it attached and folded the part of the hole into a seam and make it a little v-neck and then you could always at the collar after.. but no matter what you really need to get rid of the rough edges of fabric in that hole by folding them over and sewing or using some interfacing because you don't want it to fray when washed or create a larger hole
i hope that helps a bit?

Abigail said...

cut**
add**

Anonymous said...

I love the idea of adding the collar, it's perfect. Even if the dress didn't have the hole in the front, I think I would still like the the dress better with the collar than without. It adds so much cuteness.

AlicePleasance said...

The collar looks great! Also a beaded collar should be perfect on it :-)

Anonymous said...

What a delicious little summer dress! The collar looks really good.

Anonymous said...

What a delicious little summer dress! The collar looks really good.

Lydia said...

I'm sure you'll make this dress super gorgeous,more than it is already. Good luck!

lucille said...

This dress is so delicate, and for me this collar is a little bit too much. The idea of a collar though is very good, but maybe a smaller or lighter one would be better. Like this it looks like a collar with a dress, not a dress with a collar.

Siru said...

It looks adorable.


juliet xxx

Anonymous said...

That collar makes it look even better. great restoration!

Anonymous said...

I agree with Lucille. The collar is too much. You should make it a deep V neck. I think it would look interesting and echo the zig-zag pattern.

Penny said...

it's gorgeous. i think the collar is a good idea, and goes with it really well!

Anonymous said...

Lovely dress, so romantic ! I prefer it without collar :)

Anonymous said...

That idea of the collar is genius! I also think it looks better with it.

Anonymous said...

i think the collar looks too heavy for this dress. if you can't sew the hole up in the front, can you sew some trim over the raw edges of the rip, and make it look like it's a keyhole opening? or sew a contrasting piece of fabric behind it? i love the v-neck, i wouldn't cover it up if i were you.

Jane said...

Stunning dress. I love the lace

Check me out at http://vintage-tea.blogspot.com/

x

Jane said...

Stunning dress. I love the lace

Check me out at http://vintage-tea.blogspot.com/

x

Terry said...

The dress is TOTALLY salvage-worthy. You sound like you already know what you're doing.. you go! :) I can't wait to see the finished product.

http://tospendtime.blogspot.com
http://tkgirla.ecrater.com

bee said...

I love it! It fits perfectly with the feeling of the dress

jana @ Weekend Vintage said...

The picture is lovely....the lace against the red brick. Nice design!

~jana