Finished reverse applique

I have finished the reverse applique cutting for this sample for the Mary Boleyn dress. I'm fairly pleased with it although it needs sequins and further embellishment but I have doubts about producing a full skirt panel and it still be in one piece at the end. I may have to look at other options like simplfying the design so that it is less fragile. Or I could search for a fabric with a similar motif and work the embellishment over the top.




Also just a quick update on my muslin chemise to show how its looking so far. The bodice is almost done and I will be sewing it on soon.

Snip, snip, snip....

Just a quick update to show how the reverse applique is coming along. Its fiddly work but its so worth it when you see the design emerging.

Reverse applique - the next steps.

After much tedious stitching made even more tedious when my machine embroidery foot broke (grrrrrr) the design was finished. You can see how I have followed the design on the paper.



Next comes the fun part - ripping the paper away!!! Its one of those really satisfying jobs. I use a seam ripper to get the little bits of paper out of the nooks and crannies. If I have time tomorrow I will begin the process of cutting away parts of the design but for now you can see the stitched (paper free) motif.

The Gold Mary Boleyn dress in more detail.

I have been looking closely at the embellishment down the front of the dress. The intricate design looks as though it may have been appliqued on and then stitched around with gold thread. Then there are the sequins which are mostly a deep, blackish gold or mother of pearl worked over the design with the same gold thread. What's bugging me is that there also appear to be the occasional red, blue or green coloured sequins and i'm wondering if thats just because the camera flash is causing the mother of pearl to catch the light and throw out a vibrant colour.

After much deliberation I decided to have a go recreating the design using reverse applique. I sketched out the central motif and used tracing paper to ensure symmetry. My version is not identical but it's close enough so that i'm happy with it.




Luckily I had some gold fabric to hand which should suffice for the purpose of testing this out. I layered up my fabrics; gold fabric on top, my darker colour fabric underneath plus a layer of scrap cotton on the back for extra stability. Then I pinned a photocopy of the design to the front and its ready to sew.



I managed to stitch about half the design today and I will have another crack at it tomorrow.