Behind the Scenes

So on a silent snowy Saturday I began with a simple straight stick chair in desperate need of dressing.  All fabric was prewashed and steam pressed.  I had 3 yards of a lacy paisley cotton print, and 4 yards of a printed red ticking, and  I used almost every drop, designing as I go.  The first thing I did was cut the three yards of print in half down the grain.  Forgot to mention I had designer discard matching pair of chairs,  or so I thought.  Later discovered slightly different dimensions, but quick fixes make great designer details, or at least good stories.  Once I had my rectangles cut and pinned to the chair, I began to dream of dripping paisley.  I wanted the dress to flare out on the floor and needed the ticking for the length.  For flowing fabric, I incorporated three different types of godets.  Godets were sewn into the opened seams at the front corners.  Godets were sewn into slashes on the halfpoints of all four sides.  The third godet is a variation, the handkerchief edge, on the two back corners, which started as a square extension of the pinned side.  The lacy all over print worked well for camoflauging all seams.  One other nice detail that came out of this exploration was dropping the side seams to a point instead of the more traditional and noticeable horizontal side seams.  Would have loved to have had more ticking for a fuller ruffle, but was able to eek out of yardage on hand by leaving part of the back ruffle unruffled.  A good day's work deserves time for play.  Just need to add a lace tablecloth and pretty teacups, and conversation with friends.