The little black bow/ "Mathematics" dress

Over the past few years, I have made dresses for myself at Christmas to wear on Christmas Day. A few of them also feature in my portfolio. But this one is particularly special since it was my most ambitious make as I had no pattern and relied totally on my math skills. Taking my exact measurements, I used a handful of equations to work out the skirt length, circumference, and bodice measurements and then jigsaw it all together into a lay plan to determine how much fabric I needed to purchase.

The dress is made of stretch crushed velvet but interfaced with woven interfacing so I removed the stretch. The reasoning is, as I sewed it to the satin lining I did not want to distort it, and I didn't need the stretch for fit since I was altering the pattern to do so. The bodice features a giant bow in the front, with the centre popping together inside to secure a bra. The back has a heart cut out, something I enjoy adding to my designs as I love the hand-sewing process of that and an armhole! The sideseam has an invisible zip to allow easy on & off, and the whole garment is scattered in AB hotfix rhinestones to catch the light. Then to complete the look, a matching hair bow.