The Floral Bouquet on the 1930s Fairy Dress
The appliqué bouquet at the center of the front bodice is clearly the highlight of this charming dress found in the Elizabeth Sage Costume Collection at Indiana University which I got to see when by courtesy of the Director/Curator of the collection Kelly Richardson. It has the long, leanish, floor-length silhouette which marked the evening dresses of the 1930s and is made of silk netting with a contrasting slip.
The main elements are the flowers and leaves made of silk chiffon which have had their edges rolled--probably by a process of stretching the bias and a bit of water and a bit of simple hand manipulation. Then their little edges were tacked down with thread. We tend to think of appliqué as fabric bits with their raw edges tucked under, and these rolled examples are less usual. Only a tiny bit of fabric was needed to make them. A good reminder that bits of fabric remnants can serve many purposes.
Look closer and you will see that the centers of the flowers and the stems of the yarn were made with chenille yarn in dark red and green. But wait, there is more. Tiny plastic flower, probably originally buttons, were given red bead centers, and then sewn down around each of their little petals. It is a mix of materials in an asymmetrical that coheres as a whole.
I give you the back of the appliqué bouquet as well, so you can see that it was clearly created prior to the dress on a separate piece of netting and then applied over some of the seaming. A smart way to allow yourself to work closely on a small section without having to cram a whole dress into your lap.
You can find more on the Sage Collection and on the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, here: https://eskenazi.indiana.edu/exhibitions/sage-collection/index.html
