I got several compliments on the dirndl and was very proud to say that I made it myself. I only saw a few other dirndls and was surprised to see that they were outnumbered by lederhosen and lederhosen-like outfits. I'm trying not to succumb to lederhosen envy (is that even a thing?) but husband may just find himself in traditional German garb next Oktoberfest.
Geez, just typing that last sentence makes me want to Google 'lederhosen sewing pattern'. Must resist.
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| Let's not discuss how my paleness has saturated the camera. Again. |
Having worn the dress out for a night, I must say that it is comfortable to wear for all that it is closely fitted. I only have two negative things to say about the outfit, neither of which really concerns the pattern, Folkwear 123. First, there are blouse size issues that I mentioned in my previous post. The second is that the center front boning (which is used to support the hook and eye closures in dress view B) sticks out. The boning was rolled up while stored and the curve does not want to come out. Any suggestions for getting plastic boning to lay flat other than sandwiching it between 2 dictionaries for a while?
Overall, I'm really pleased with the outfit. It's a little plain, but I think that some embroidery or edging on the bodice will liven things up. That's a project for next year. In the meantime, I hope to find many more opportunities to wear this dress!
(And here's the point where the hat-obsessed writer of this blog totally admits to acquiring a new hat at Oktoberfest. What can I say? It was inexpensive and went with German theme. The only problem is that I'm going to have to fight the husband for the hat as it looks just as good on him.)
Steam and/or hot water? I'm not sure how washable your dirndl is. Works with kinked up circular needles though. Or at least helps in prep for the dictionaries.
ReplyDeleteOh, steam. I hadn't thought about that. It's definitely worth trying at the very least. Thanks for the suggestion!
ReplyDeleteI think my mom actually ironed the plastic boning in the prom dress she made for me when it was curling. As long as you use a low heat and have the boning sandwiched between fabric, it shouldn't melt. You don't hold the iron on the boning for a long period of time either. It's sort of a swipe-rest-swipe-bend process.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Mary. I think ironing is going to be the if-I'm-desperate solution. I steamed and wrapped the boning in a rubber band in the opposite direction for a couple hours. This worked in the short term but I might be using the iron if the curve doesn't stay out.
ReplyDeletela la la hihou!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for tthe post
ReplyDelete