I'm pretty sure this is the most awesome fabric I have ever owned. It's made of HOLES! It's geometric! It's like a cooler version of lace! No pattern for this one; I just pieced it together on my dress form. The fabric (sturdy embroidered cotton) was surprisingly easy to work with. Since it's clearly see-through, I decided there was no point in trying to hide the zipper, so I used a big chunky metal zipper I had lying around and inserted it visibly in the back. I haven't made a liner for the dress yet, but I've been wearing it with a lacey slip that belonged to my grandmother. It's a little long, but I like the effect.
Also, here are a few pictures of my winter coat. I'll upload better ones later...these don't do justice to the fabric or the amazing buttons. The outer layer is this beautiful orange/maroon herringbone wool I got for $6/yard. It's not quite coat-weight wool, so I put in an interlining of grey polyester fleece (which we have lying around in large quantities from the time Thom decided we should make a manatee couch..sadly, never happened). The lining is polka-dot polyester charmeuse, which I will post photos of eventually. Also, the buttons! They are so cool! I was looking for cameo-brooch buttons, but I ended up finding these metal ones (which are supposedly antique, and rescued from an abandoned factory) at Windsor Button in Boston. They ended up being the 2nd most expensive component of the coat. Total price = $18 worth of wool + ?? grey fleece + $6 liner + $10 buttons = $34. Not bad for a warm winter coat.
This coat definitely isn't as neat as it could be. I didn't use proper tailoring techniques (no shoulder pads, no fancy shaping, not even any interfacing), and I completely altered a pattern for a basic hip-length, single-breasted jacket without a hood. Maybe next year I'll go all out and (attempt!) to make a well-tailored coat, but for now I'm pretty happy with this.
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