Last weekend I did some hand stitching on the Blue Diva arashi shibori gown, and it is now ready for finishings, to the point of doing some beading on it. It has been a wonderful experiment to see what is possible to accomplish with the techniques. I learned that I can create long dress length panels of fabric with arashi pleats. As I worked with the tiny arashi pleated silk, I learned how to handle the seamlines, that is, how to make the seams come together and still look somewhat "seamless." The seamlines are very forgiving, that is, they don't come together like conventional seams in straight lines, yet they look pretty straight. It requires hand stitching to accomplish, therefore the entire silk gown is hand sewn. I made a scarf to provide a matching accessory for the Blue Diva, and need to decide how to pleat it. Will I add a second color to it? Still undecided about that too.
Front and back views:
These are photographs of different positionings just pinned on for the front panels. I went with the softer look on the right. I like the softer neckline and casing. The next gown (oh yes, there will be more) will be a different and darker color and perhaps a somewhat matching jacket or shawl will be added. The matching scarf will also be pleated.
(Originally posted 25 March, 2014) Edited for clarity 15 August, 2023