Deadlines. Sometimes they’re oppressive. Other times they’re inspiring. Jungle January, by definition, finishes today and look at me scraping in just in time!
As promised, I made a frock from vintage Japanese silk twill with some kind of animally dot. I don’t think any real critter is bedecked thus, but this is as close to animal print as I’ve ever been or, in all likelihood, will ever get. I worked out why most animal prints make me wince – it’s the beige background. I loathe beige. Ugh. No matter how wacky the spots and stripes are, if the background is beige, I declare BEGONE FROM MY EYES.
The fabric came from Rathdowne Remnants in two pieces. It’s clearly from some old lady’s stash – sometimes RR has utter diamonds buried in their remnant buckets – and smells faintly of mothballs when wet. One piece had the end of the roll stamped with the manufacturer’s details, which is why I’m clear on its Japanese origins. It’s the softest, slinkiest stuff and required a good gelatining before it would sit still enough to cut and sew.
Soft folds at waist
I made Butterick 5850 view B but left off the bow (for I am not a box of chocolates, thankyouverymuch) and added length and width to the skirt. For those keen to make this pattern, be aware there’s an error in the neck where one piece (back neckline) is impossibly too big to fit to its intended neighbour (the collar). I did some darts in the spot fabric and gathered the lining to compensate. It’s ugly, but works. Not sure I’d recommend the pattern for this reason though.
I think the animal print discombobulated me because I put the bloody zipper in upside down! Ah well.
Make it 'til you fake it 
Side zip? Hard to tell from technical drawing. Costume shop at university taught us to install size zips to zip up from the bottom as a matter of course — actors and dancers suffered far fewer wardrobe mishaps that way. A zip fastener is less likely to creep open going up from the bottom than going down from the top. So, if that’s what you meant by “installing the zipper upside down, you’re golden. If you installed it so that the pull tab is only accessible from inside the dress, you were indeed discombobulated, and I’ll pray for your sanity.