This dress has been percolating for a while, ever since I admired this project on Burdastyle. I love 50’s dresses but making one with such an unexpected print felt much more modern and wearable for me.I used a mix of two rather psychedelic African wax prints. Both have a fuchsia batik background but with large silkscreened acorns and eyes superimposed on top. Trippy AND awesome.
I used Butterick 5748, a reproduction pattern from the 50’s. It was super easy to make. I lined it with cotton voile and poly organza to make a nice full skirt that wouldn’t need a crinolone (as per Gertie’s suggestion). You can find more photos and info at my blog here.
Love this dress! Very fun! Inspires me to get to work with the African prints I have.
They are so easy to sew and I think so striking and unusual – perfect for a simply constructed garment like a pencil skirt….
Very nice dress, love the print
Your dress is lovely! And so fun…
I love those African wax prints, too, and took a trip specifically to that part of the world to buy some for quilting & dressmaking.
A student at work had her sister send this from Mali:
http://bellaindustries.blogspot.com/2012/06/straight-from-mali.html
And I just made this with kente-print fabric from Burkina Faso:
http://bellaindustries.blogspot.com/2012/06/mccalls-free-pattern-from-post-cereal.html
Bella, both of those pieces are so fabulous but that jacket! WOWOWOW!
Love this! Where did you get the wax print fabric, if I may ask? I really love African wax prints, but I don’t know where to get them in the US/online.
Amanda, I got it at my local neighborhood fabric store. We have a big African community so it’s not hard to find them in Montreal. The always lovely Marie at Sewing Odyssey just did a post on a UK source: http://asewingodyssey.blogspot.ca/2012/06/african-inspired-prints.html. There has gotta be a less expensive US/Canadian source though….