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Vogue 2899...or the dress that almost wasn't

Sunday, September 2

Boy oh Boy!!!!

I made a dress, I made a dress. Did I tell you I made a dress? No seriously, did I tell you I made a dress?

I did, I did, I did make a dress.

I made this one




I am writing this post at 6am, in my cousin's house in Birmingham. What am I doing in Birmingham? Oh well, I came for the weekend. This year marks the 50th anniversary of my high school. I mentioned before that I went to an all girl's boarding school back home in Cameroon. I spent 7 sometimes miserable and sometimes exciting years at boarding school. Most of my friendships were forged here, and almost all of my closest friends today all went to this school

Saker Baptist College (my school) was created in 1962 by Baptist missionaries, and we even had some missionaries from the UK. So, those of us based in the UK decided to celebrate our school's anniversary, and we are having a convention this weekend. Friday was a common meal, Saturday involved games, and a gala night. Sunday, a church service, and a barbecue. I am probably going to skip church, as my whole body is hurting from all the dancing I did. It is not everyday that I have the opportunity to make a fool of myself on the dance floor. Mr. Dibs is on babysitting duties this weekend, while I run wild. Yay baby!!

Now back to the dress. I LOVE this dress. I felt really confident and sexy when I wore it to the party. My sister kept telling anyone willing to hear that I made the dress myself. I got so many compliments, and many people begging me to make the exact dress for them. Something which I am not keen on, and I told them no.

Did I love making it? Not so much!! I actually finished it on Saturday morning on the way to Birmingham. As soon as I got on the train, I whipped out my tools, and got down to the business of sewing the hems on both the dress, and the lining. People thought I was bonkers.




The actual pattern is not difficult to make, but it is VERY time consuming. There are 10 pieces I think, and almost all of them are cut twice. One is even cut 4 times. Not impressed!! I started it effectively on Wednesday, and on Thursday, discovered that I had not cut one of the back pieces. I combed my house  for the pattern piece, but alas, could not find it. So off, to John Lewis I went, to buy a new pattern. I need to be more careful with my patterns, as I have also managed to damage the bodice front of my Cambie pattern. Not cool, I know. At one point I thought about stopping work on the dress, and caving in and buying a new dress. In the end I decided to stick it out, and push on. It is amazing how the thought of shelling out some good money for a dress from the high street and seeing 10 other women wearing the same dress at your party can inspire one to sew on.


I did not sleep on Friday night, just trying to work on the dress. I was mega stressed I tell you. Mr.Dibs was angry with me for putting myself in such a situation. Oh Mr.Dibs!! Poor sod. He had to look after Noah all night, and Noah would not sleep. The little munchkin finally slept off at about 2:30am. I had to take him off Mr.Dibs, because I sensed he was on the verge of throwing my son out of the house....I am not even joking. His sighs were so loud.


Writing this post now, I have realised I did not take any pictures of the back of the dress. You can see more of the dress here ( I ADORE the colour she used here), and here ( This is where I first saw the pattern). I used a soft lycra fabric bought from this ebay store. Like I said before, it is not a difficult pattern to make, but you need alot of patience. I decided not to use a zip as the instructions directed because I could not be bothered to fight with my invisible zipper foot at 2am in the morning. Since it is quite a stretchy fabric, I got away with it. The instructions for the strap and draping at the neck were quite simple, but I had to sleep on them, as my brain had stopped processing any form of information at 4am. I finally figured out how to do them when I woke up in the morning.






Will I make this dress again? Probably. I really love it, and I think the compliments I received at the party have gotten to my head. I would love to make it in two different colours, black and something else. I don't look forward to the work involved in it though. My mom has to come visit us soon from Cameroon, so I could psyche her into sewing it for.  

Right, I am off to bed now. 

Enjoy your sunday.

61 comments:

  1. Dibo- you look absolutely phenomenal. And how old is Noah again? You must be really passionate about what you do - i was in such a post-partum fog that i couldnt fathom doing anything more than nursing, salsa babies or strollercising. Good on you gurl.
    ps: The dress is gorg...i would totally buy it. But i understand what you mean about not making to sell. There must be some inner peace that comes with knowing that you are making clothes, hair pieces, etc as leisure and ther eis no pressure to sell.

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    1. Yes thats really true. I think if I had to sew dresses to sell, it would take out all the fun out of it, because I would be so scared to spoil the fabric, and not really enjoy the process.

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  2. You look completely and utterly amazing!!! Wow, I am so impressed at the effort you put into this dress - sometimes pushing through the barriers makes it all the more worthwhile. It's so nice to go to an evening like that and look smokin' hot!
    I would adore a dress like this but I know I just don't have the killer curves to pull it off. Whereas you look completely sensational.
    I'm a boarding school girl too BTW :-)

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    1. Ahh, but that is where the side drapping comes into its own. It actually gives the illusion of an hourglass figure, so, you might be shocked at how it makes you look. Did you enjoy boarding school? sometimes I used to wonder if my parents hated me that much to lock me away lol.

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  3. It's absolutely breathtaking Dibs, you look GORGEOUS! Wow, wow, wow! x

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  4. Could have been made for you... Oh wait, it was! Successes like this are what sewing's all about. Looks fantastic. Well done!

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    1. Thanks Catherine. If only I could have more successes like this.

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  5. You look really beautiful Dibs :)

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  6. Red is is great colour on you - looks like you have had a great time in that knock-out dress...

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    1. You know, I never really thought of red as a good colour for me, but the few times that I have worn red, I have received a lot of compliments. Oh trust me when I say I had fun. lol

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  7. Wow Dibs, what a stunning dress...absolutely divine on you!!!

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  8. Fabulous. You must get a picture of the back!

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    1. Thanks Jane. I will try to, or maybe when I make another one, I will show pictures of the back.

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  9. OMG, you look HAWT! That dress is fabulous on you - Good thing you stuck with it and didn't give up! :)

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  10. Stunning! You look fantastic in that dress!

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  11. Just one word 4 u Ms Dibs..SEXY

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  12. You look ultra sexy Dibs!!! Great work!

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  13. So glad you stuck it through and finished beacuse the dress is gorgeous. It looks amazing. Awesome work, Dibs! Hope you had a great time at the party!

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    1. I know right? and to think I almost gave up. I have learned a lesson here.

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  14. Wow!! Your dress is gorgeous, and looks fab on you! Definately worth all the trouble. :)

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    1. Tell me about it Lynne. I am so happy I persisted.

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  15. You look so sexy with this dress!!! Fantastic job!!

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  16. wow - you look amazing! that dress is fantastic with your figure - no wonder you got loads of great comments! well done!

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  17. A knockout, wow. There is nothing school girl about that dress! Your sewing story is rather scary though, an all nighter and finishing on the train, just like an exam. I hope your reunion was great fun and deserved the dress.

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    1. Thanks so much. Yes, the reunion was really fun. I had such a good time. If I have to do it again, I would leave enough time to avoid being so stressed.

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  18. Wow - you look awesome Dibs - truly!

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  19. What.a.dress
    You look stunning.
    To say any more would dilute the impact.

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  20. Hey Sista! You look smashing in that dress. Just stumbled on your blog and thought I'd holla at a fellow Cameroonian :)
    By the way, is there a bra hidden in that dress? I have the pattern but my D-Cup is the main reason I haven't sewn it up yet...

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    1. Aww thank you. This is the first time I am meeting someone in the sewing community from Cameroon. There is no hidden bra here. I wanted to get those stick on bras, but the price put me off big time. So in the end, I bought one of those strapless bras that has a transparent back. S, from afar you would not know I had a bra on.

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  21. Oh MissDibs you look STUNNING, what a beautiful dress and the color........ GORGEOUS on you! You did a great job!

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  22. Your dress is beautiful and looks great on you. Bet you were the "bell of the ball".

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    1. hhhahaha. I probably wasn't, but I can say for sure thay I did not look "homemade" at all.

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  23. Positively stunning! Love the color and style of the dress - I can definitely see why you want to make more!

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    1. Thanks Meg, though I will not be in any rush to make another one soon. I do like the pattern though.

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  24. Blimey girl - that is stunning!
    Mr Dibs was probably extra grumpy at the thought of you going out in the world without him wearing that dress!

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    1. lol. He was actually happy the dress was finally finished. He did raise an eyebrow though when I tried it on for his comments.

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  25. Holy cow! You look hot! I love this dress on you, and the red is a perfect choice! But ick, I've been there with you with last-minute sewing-- no fun! Glad you finished in time!

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    1. the think is I never seem to learn. I think I am more productive under pressure.

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  26. Love this dress on you! You look amazing!

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    1. Oh thank you so much Erica. Yours was the first version that made me want to make this dress.

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  27. sorry to hear the process was such a pain -- but it's true; this look is hoTT!

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  28. Wowsers! That is a gorgeous dress on you!

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  29. Dibs, this is a knockout dress! Congratulations on all your hard work and perseverance paying off!

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  30. I LURVE this dress. Especially on you! Rocking the colour and the curves :)

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  31. I am not supposed to be looking at your blog right now, but had to say this is AMAZING on you, and would even maybe tempt me to try it myself. You should def. put up some pics of the back. Gorgeous!

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  32. no offense but you nailed it. i like it better on you than any other blog. perfect fit, length, color. BAM!

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