colette chantilly

Hello Colette Chantilly!

Also known as the tropical hot mess, my nickname for this project.

It was my first time doing a full lining. I also had an unbalance machine which meant threads were snapping every few inches leaving thread tails everywhere. It took me a while but I re-adjusted my machine and got it back to normal… but it took many days and many downloads of vintage singer manuals. There were also gathers. And interfacing. Thread was just everywhere.

The fabric was bought that Benin and Togo border. I guarded JM’s motorcycle while he crossed the border to renew his visa. That is when I couldn’t resist asking the fabric sellers to waa. Come. They laid out their fabric on the moto and I picked out 4 yards of very cheap material. It cost me 3,500CFA. Lately my attitude toward fabric is this: I can’t really differentiate between good and bad quality. Only way to really know is to buy it, sew with it, and wear it. So that is what I’m doing, and if some fabric really does irritate me I’ll know to avoid it.

Sometimes I judge fabric by how transparant and thin it is.

And this fabric… wow was it thin.

Even with no backlight I could still see through it.

Good thing the Chantilly pattern calls for a full lining!

It’s a fun dress to twirl in.

Those tires were meant for this dress.

Just look at how well they match!

This dress also matches the donation given to the school by Gigi Hancock. What could it be?

Why… latrines! This is where kids pee. I think you can even see a puddle behind me.

They’ve got the best paintings on them so that the boys, girls, and preschool kids know where to go.

Besides playing, playgrounds are for photo shoots.

Left side looking good. Right side… mismatched seams with the side zipper. I actually made this mistake in my previous dresses, but since the fabric was the same throughout (or if there was a belt conveniently covering it up) it wasn’t noticeable. I’ll pay better attention next time.

Need to sit and take  break. All this posing is hard work.

Until the photography orders “hair flip! do a hair flip! flip to the left! to the right! flip flip flip!” Back to work.

And welcome to my life. Being the strange being that children (and adults) stare at as they try and figure me out. Granted for this photo shoot I was being extra strange, but usually I get these looks just for buying oranges or eating rice – this is what happens in places that don’t have a lot of skin color diversity. I do stand out even more with this dress on as well, don’t I?

Pattern: Colette Parfait
Fabric: Prestige 2288
Outfit Photos: John Mark F.