Thursday, October 9, 2014

Sewing: "I Heart Marcel Marlier" Dress


Have you heard of Marcel Marlier? I have to confess that I hadn't until An and Suz invited me to join in their series. When I saw his illustrations I was gaga. I immediately fell in love with the work of this Belgian author and illustrator. 


I don't know if it's the romantic vignettes he uses to frame many of his illustrations, or the amazing sunned and smooth complexions of his children,...


..or his "slice of life" style capturing the wonder of childhood,...


...or the frequent inclusion of small pets....


There is so much to love!

His illustrations remind me of another vintage illustrator I love, Eloise Wilkin, of Golden Books fame. They both depicted the idealized life of the generation or two before mine. I see in their work images similar to those in my mother's photo albums. a time when children were children for a long time and little girls always wore dresses!


Oh the dresses! They are my favorite. I have long loved vintage designs and have stacks of vintage dress patterns I'll never get to (though thanks to this series I just crossed one off my list!).


Whether the dresses are simple shifts or full fit-and-flare party frocks they always seem to balance feminine details with simplicity. And they flatter little girls without encouraging them to dress older than they are.



To imagine my own storybook shoot I chose a vintage a-line dress with a full inverted pleat in front and sewed it with this pretty aqua cotton-wool. I wanted to add just a little something and I was really lucky to find the perfect blue velvet ribbon--in two sizes! So I could trim the pleat and add a tiny bow below the neckline.


I love the way it turned out! I self-lined the dress so it feels silky on but it is cozy too. Perfect for the Fall. Thank you An and Suz for the motivation to sew something classic. It seems they are always my favorties.

There's something in this for you too. A giveaway! You can enter right here.

You'll have to check out all the other great Marcel Marlier inspired looks on this tour, including the one shared today by Dandelion Drift. So far beautiful looks have appeared at: StraightGrain , sewponyMade by SaraLa Folie Sewing BoothCompagnie MStitched Together and La Inglesita, with more to come.


And if you are inspired by Marcel Marlier too you can join in the sew alongs. Check them out on StraightGrain and SewPony.

13 comments:

  1. This is beautiful! So innocent- love the knee socks, too! What pattern did you use?

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  2. This dress is lovely!
    Maria

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  3. I love it Anneliese!! We knew Marcel marlier would be just your style. I also love Eloise Wilkin's illustrations - they are amazing. I really love your dress. My favourite colour. Thanks so much for joining us!!

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  4. This dress really captures Tiny's style perfectly! Love it!

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  5. Wauw! Love this dress! Curious about the pattern too...;)

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  6. Llevas razón, las niñas están muy graciosas vestidas de niñas, yo también de pequeña usé vestidos siempre, hasta los 20 que me puse mis primeros vaqueros y creo que nos hemos acomodado en esto. El vestido es precioso y el azul cielo le sienta muy bien a Escarlata!! Un besito desde Sevilla. Ani.

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  7. Thank you so much for this stunning contribution to our series! It's amazing how well you captured Marcel Marlier's style. The socks, the shoes, the ribbon in her hair, even the pet! :-) Love love love!

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  8. Bonjour
    un petit commentaire de France où Martine est connue de tous,on s'en moque même un peu .
    Et un lien pour une surprise textile qui peut faire plaisir à vos petites filles
    Friendly
    Caroline
    http://motifpersonnel.blogspot.fr/2014/10/martine.html

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  9. anneliese this is just perfection!!

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  10. so cute!! I love the cat in the photos just like the illustrations.. I think I will have to use a fake animal in my photoshoot as we dont have pets... love this dress!!

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  11. Just one thing to say: this is Martine come true!!!!!

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  12. So cute, like the color, ver vintage. I didn't know the author, the series introduce me. After a search, now I'm in love with the images.

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