Here is my offering this month - my new Latin dance dress, made for a competition in Blackpool this coming weekend. The pattern is self-drafted, based on my existing ballroom pattern. Not all of it worked as it should have, but the stones cover a multitude of sins!
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It was inspired by two rather fabulous dresses made by Chrisanne for Mia Linnick-Holden, a top young UK competitor.
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It started off meaning to be a red version of the black one - you can still see this in the AB (silver) central pattern of the stoning, the shape of the skirt, and the band at the bottom, but in the end, I decided it needed more on the top to balance the hips, so added bits from the red one in the form of the fringe on the bust, the lace and more stoning all over.
I left off the hip fringe for the same reason, and made it in a solid crepe as befitting someone who is nearly 53 and not 13 like the girl in the pictures (
)! I also didn't use didn't use nearly as many stones, although there are still several thousand, and I think the effect will be OK.
I'm pleased with how it's come out, although there was an initial wobble as the original conception (minus lace and fringe, and with a horizontal seam at hip level) really didn't suit my somewhat pear-shaped figure! I'm looking forward to wearing on Sunday.