Not very long ago, I was contacted by dp studio, a pattern company whose offerings I’ve always found super interesting and intriguing… I bought a few of their patterns last year but am still yet to find time to make them up… eek!! Anyway, they wanted to know if I would like to review one of their latest. Would I?! Omigosh, yes!! They have recently brought out a new thing… something called a “kit couture” that is a collaboration between dp studio and Hamon, a fabric and haberdashery store in Paris. The kit comes in a rather beautifully packed box, and includes the sewing pattern, fabric, and all notions and bits and bobs you needed to finish making it. Very luxe. I was so excited to try it out!! They didn’t have my first choice, but I did like the look of the kit they offered me quite a lot and I anxiously awaited its arrival.
Did not disappoint!! The kit I received was for Le 912, the Eve dress, described on the box as “Robe effect portefeuille a matches longues” Oh, how I wish I could speak French! everything sounds so much lovelier and more poetic than in English… the translation is “dress with wallet effect and long sleeves”
The fabric from Hamon is absolutely lovely; a 100% viscose with a beautifully soft and floaty hand to it, and a loose flowy, silk-like drape. Divine!! Even better, the print is super pretty; black flowers and leafy tendrils on a creamy background. I think this creamy ground suits me quite well, my “white”, so to speak; so I was very happy with this. The kit also contained a lightweight, fusible interfacing, a stable, fusible stay-tape for the bias cut opening edges and the shoulder seams; and length of perfectly colour-matched satin ribbon for the belt/tie. Oh! and a reel of perfectly colour-matched, cream coloured thread. This was actually overlocking thread rather than all-purpose thread, but I found it quite nice, not woolly; and to be absolutely fine for the purposes of sewing this very delicate fabric.
I really enjoyed making up my dress. Lately – well I mean, once I’d got my mad, rough knitting bag project out of my system; I’ve been more in the mood for careful, quietly lengthy and dedicated sewing projects; something that takes time and effort, and maybe even requires unpicking and re-doing things over and over until I get them right. I think it’s the process of making Kelly’s wedding dress that has brought this new mood for meticulous perfection upon me. Will this be the case from now on? possibly not! but it is right now so I’m contentedly riding that wave in serene and unhurried happiness.
I initially made long; bias cut ties, seen above; using the black/cream print for the waist tie, which is actually what the pattern instructions tell you to make. Ultimately though, I didn’t like these so substituted the included cream coloured ribbon tie instead, which is really much nicer in the end; prettier, softer, and easier and more comfortable to wear too.
Craig heartily approves of the dress which I found slightly surprising. After all, the dress is quite “covered up” and not figure hugging or the least bit “sexy”; and Craig usually prefers this sort of thing… #husbands However, he really likes this one; called it “classy” and “really nice”. Well OK then!!
One thing the kit did not include was a required button; but I’m perfectly ok with that since I have about a billion buttons and absolutely zero need to ever buy buttons again in my lifetime. I used a tiny, “pearl-with-a-shank” button for the closure.
Yesterday, we went to the city and my reluctant-photographer husband Craig kindly took a few pictures of me, for my blog. Well, that was an unusually nice surprise! Hurray!! Afterwards, I regretted a little that we hadn’d taken Clara, since she goes so nicely with the dress. #dressingtomatchyourdog #itsathing #promise
So I couldn’t resist another picture at home, this time including my very worthy little accessory, hehe
Details:
Dress: le 912, the “eve” dress by dp studio, cream/black viscose
Shoes; Vitullimoda, from Zomp shoes
I also wore my hand-knitted cardigan all day, because it was a COLD day! Jo Sharp Tweed Coat, shortened, in Jo Sharp Silkroad DK tweed yarn in colour Peppercorn (col 425), blogged here
The post black and cream Eve dress, dp studio appeared first on Handmade by Carolyn.