RAINY DAY MAGIC: A Revised Vintage Dress & Sculptures by Jason Sho Green
All lantern sculptures by Jason Sho Green.
I’m having a hard time with the days getting shorter; how about you? I’m not a morning person! I’ve also been working 9-5 (from home) for the first time since the Before Times, so my days are suddenly more structured. So for the past couple weeks, I feel like I have less time for my personal creative endeavors. I’ve gotten used to doing a lot of sewing, planning, photographing, etc., and the feeling of productivity propels me from one day to the next. I wake up knowing where I left off, and I can sit down and get sewing.
I try to create my own mood, and sewing - turning a piece of fabric into a garment, especially - cheers me up. Recently, I made this dress out of a sheer cotton that gave me a sweet, nostalgic feeling. The resulting dress was… Not Quite Right. I felt a little disappointed, unsatisfied. I underlined that sweet, light cotton with very sheer, crisp cotton organdy, exactly as per the 1972 pattern instructions. It came out looking cute, but feeling a little stiff. It felt just like a vintage dress, actually. You know how sometimes they’re a little….crunchy? So without much thought, I sat down and seam ripped the entire thing apart. Everything except the sleeves!
I re-cut the bodice with a lower neckline, and re-assembled the entire dress again, minus underlining or any lining at all. Now it felt right - airy and floaty. It seemed natural to photograph this dress - which is really only sheer when the light hits it just so - with Jason’s lantern sculptures. We have these lanterns all over our home, and lighting one up creates a magical, slightly eerie aura every time. Scroll down to see my daylight test shots, and if you want to see my review of this pattern, it is here. (If you click the smaller photos they will enlarge.) XO, Martha.
