Cover Designs! #10

It's been almost a year since my last Cover Designs post. But when I saw the dress on the cover of The Three Sisters Bar & Hotel, I knew I had to post about it! What is Cover Designs? It's when I see a dress on the cover of a book and try to match up a pattern and fabric to recreate that dress in real life.

This is a classic fit & flare dress, and there were many close possibilities to choose from. But after much pondering, I've selected New Look 6143.

Made from a red crepe or even a fine boucle, this dress would match the cover nicely, with View B's mid-length sleeve, but no overlay. The skirt on the cover dress looks pleated, rather than gathered, and that is reflected in this pattern also.

Maybe it could be made with this japanese cotton:

Or this viyella (cotton-wool blend):
 

And accessorized with these rugged mountain-friendly brogues

 and this green bangle

And of course this rugged suitcase to carry it all with you.

Tell me, would you wear this on your next mountain escape? 


*****************

I wore something slightly similar on my own last trip to Canmore, the inspiration for the town of Gateway in this novel. But the pattern wasn't quite right, with a gathered skirt instead of pleats, and my sleeves weren't quite long enough. Also, it wasn't red ;)

Cover Designs! #9

After discovering Kurt Palka recently (as noted in my recent review of his novel The Piano Maker) I went back and looked to see what else he'd done. To my surprise, he had one recent novel, Clara -- but has written other novels -- which were published over 20 years ago. So he is back!

Clara is also set during wartime, but this time WWII, and set in Vienna. It looks like another gripping story of right and wrong in uncertain circumstances, featuring a strong female lead. 

But I was also caught by the cover. The striking red dress against the forest background is an interesting contrast. And I think I know how to recreate that look. 

I'd take Vogue 8997 and make a few mix-and-match changes.

I'd use View A for the body, with the addition of sleeves from View C. Using contrast fabrics like perhaps these two, both from fabric.com, might work:

Bodice from this tiny print

And full skirt from this silkier, orangey charmeuse

To really finish the look, these yellow-toned lace ups would be just about right, I think.

I'm sure we'll see this image repeated on other book covers in future...I'll be watching out for a reappearance of this red dress, as I've noticed a trend both toward women with their backs facing the reader, as well as multiple covers with the same stock image. If you've seen it before, let me know!

Cover Designs! #8

I have not added a new Cover Design in quite a while. So when this copy of Rose Tremain's The American Lover came to my notice at work, I thought it would  be a perfect choice for a new entry into this occasional series here at The Indextrious Reader.

Rose Tremain first came to my attention mainly through the efforts of Simon at Savidge Reads, who was  Trespassing with Tremain, a reading event held last year.

This story of this novel, centred around a Parisian love affair in the 1960s, is clearly telegraphed by this cover. That glossy damask dress, gloves and hairdo say "60s" to me. And fortunately, I have just the pattern to recreate this look.

Vogue 8020 is a current pattern that is heavily influenced by this vintage look. It has the fitted bodice, dropped waist & pleated skirt of this cover dress, though for an exact copy, the sewist would have to add a couple of tucks into the shoulder seams. View A has the closest match I think, and instead of that black belt, a matching sash out of self fabric would copy the book cover very closely.

Add these shoes to your outfit, especially if you make it in a gorgeous pink brocade like the book model is wearing.

A brocade perhaps like this one:

Or switch it up and make it in show-stopping red for the holidays, like this wonderful sewist did! Cocktail wear just in time for the festive season...

Cover Designs! #7

It's time for another edition of the Cover Designs series!


In this series, I try to match up the lovely dresses on the covers of books with sewing patterns so you can make your own version of your favourite cover design.

Here is a book that I've recommended more than once over the last few years. It's really two stories, "Kitchen" and "Moonlight Shadow", although Kitchen is both the longer and more memorable one.

They both feature young women who are dealing with love, sexuality, identity...and kitchens. They are quirky and thoughtful, and I've read Kitchen a number of times since I first encountered it. The melding of Japanese and Western sensibilities in these stories make them very accessible to English readers, and the numerous mentions of noodles and tea in Kitchen may make you hungry while reading -- fair warning!

I love this cover, and have always thought it was a great balance of colour and adorable outfit.


To replicate this casual summer dress, you could pick up a suitable-for-beginners easy pattern, the Staple Dress by April Rhodes. This is a downloadable pdf pattern by an Indie designer which has been really popular in the sewing world.

This dress has a short sleeve, a loose skirt, and the option to make an elastic waist. It also has options for a level or a high-lo hem. The example below is very like our Banana Yoshimoto cover dress; if it had the even hem it would look even more alike. This could be worn over a white slip, or the skirt could be accented with ribbon, if you wanted a result even more like the inspiration.

(Photo from April-Rhodes.com, Staple Dress pattern)

If you look at the pattern page for the Staple Dress, you'll see that she's even styled it with boots, like our cover design. This is a super-adaptable dress that could be made Japanese style, easily!

To really reflect the cover of Kitchen, though, you might want to add some accessories.

Throw on this vegan satchel from Lulu & you're ready to go!

Or perhaps you would prefer a colour matched shoe...

Whichever option you choose, enjoy reading this book, in your comfortable matching Staple Dress!

Cover Designs! #6

And now for another installment in my occasional feature: "women facing away on book covers" matched up with a modern pattern that can recreate the look of her outfit, with some creative license!

I recently discovered this fabulous vintage cover over at The Dusty Bookcase, whose review is entertaining in itself -- this book sounds lurid, dreadful, and like a good argument for why 'vintage' is not always better.

As soon as I saw that dame's back I knew instantly which pattern could replicate that look. The brassy hair, however, is another story...

I would choose Vogue 8728

See, even the gloves and shoes are right on!

This back view provides a better comparison. Lengthen this one
slightly, perhaps reduce the fullness of the skirt slightly...spot on.

This line drawing gives a clear view. Exchange
the skinny belt for a wide green sash and you are done.

This cover model clearly does things her own way, including what really should be a vintage fashion faux pas in her colour choices ("blue and green should never be seen") I can only think she's reaching into her green purse for a revolver...

Cover Designs! #5

And now, a long overdue addition to my Cover Designs series, in which I attempt to match up a book cover with appropriate pattern & fabric to knock it off ;)

This book is slightly different -- we see the front of the dress instead of the back, but this time with nobody in it.

A Vintage Affair, by Isabel Wolff, is also a great choice for this treatment because it is about clothes. The summary says:

 Phoebe Swift, has just opened a vintage dress shop in Blackheath. At the same time she is coping with the recent loss of her best friend, Emma. So Phoebe takes refuge in her work - restoring these wonderful old clothes to their former glory so that they can go on to have new lives. But what of the past lives these clothes have lived she often wonders? What stories would they tell if they could speak?

This dress is a true vintage style, and it was easy for me to pick a matching pattern.

 The first pattern that jumped to mind is the immensely popular (within the sewing community) Simplicity 2444. It has the right darts in the bodice, and a nice gathered skirt.

Of course you'd have to make in a bright pink polished cotton or maybe even a crepe of some sort...

With a cute black bow belt, too! 

You can even make your own

Cover Designs! #4

I haven't done a Cover Designs post lately, but I have been sewing like mad. Plus watching a lot of the Great British Sewing Bee. So dresses (my favourite thing to sew) have been on my mind. And then I shelved this book at work this week:

Jennie Rooney's Red Joan is a tale of a woman unmasked as a former Soviet spy, when in her 80's, after a most respectable post-war life. I love a good spy story, and this swingy wartime dress in a very 40's silhouette and fabric choice caught my eye as well. I think I've found a perfect match in a vintage 40's pattern.

Here's an original Mail Order vintage pattern for a dress with pintucks at waist and neck, and those puffed sleeves from the Red Joan cover. It's even a polka dot fabric! I love how our model below is looking up from her book... what other accessory do you really need?

This pattern comes from a site called So Vintage Patterns, a place that sewists and social historians alike can get lost in for hours...

These red shoes from Modcloth would
clinch the deal...

Cover Designs! #3

Today for my latest entry in the Cover Designs series, I'm looking at a party dress. Tis the season!

This one is on the cover of How To Be Single by Liz Tuccillo -- another back view of a very cute dress that would suit a holiday party quite well, if made in a suitable fabric.

Looking around at various designs, I think that this Kwik Sew 3448 seems just about right. It has shoulder straps, a back zip, and a very nicely gathered skirt. The matching view is even in nearly the same fabric!

As to fabrics and accessories...

Making this one up in a frosty pink or glittery white 
might create a Snow Queen effect

Trying a shimmery Emerald (Pantone's 2013 Colour of the Year) 
would give it a crisp, elfin vibe! 

And with any of this, some glitter and sparkle for shoes and accessories is a must, like either of these choices:

                                      

Cover Designs! #2

This sporty look is the second in my Cover Designs series, in which l try to match up a cover design with possible patterns & sometimes fabrics that I think would work together to make a great knock-off of the cover dress. 

I've just discovered this author, Gale Martin. Here is her Grace Unexpected, a "chick lit" novel featuring a young woman in a jazzy orange shift on its cover, facing away from us again. While this style is completely unsuited to my own figure, I can imagine it looking fabulous on someone young, tall and slender. 

This recent design from the Workroom line from New Look seems like a close match. This pattern uses a woven fabric, with a back zip and a pleated skirt. If the material was changed to a knit, you could easily leave out the back zip and gather the skirt instead of pleating, resulting in a perfect match. 

A fabric like this might work nicely

Toss on the perfect accessories and the look is complete...

Maybe these

And these, to really capture the cover look :)

Cover Designs! #1

Here is the first of a projected occasional series called Cover Designs!

I've noticed a lot of book jackets in the last while featuring a woman in a dress, which is pretty much the main focus of the cover image. And usually she's facing away from the reader, but that's another whole issue for another day.

The point being that recently I've been focusing much more on sewing -- I used to sew clothing quite a lot, but this has dropped off over the last few years. Now I've got my sewing mojo back and thus have been looking at this rash of cover designs more closely, seeing as how I've also been poring over pattern catalogues and sewing websites a lot lately (my husband might say "obsessively").

I'll try to match up a cover design with possible patterns & sometimes fabrics that I think would work together to make a great knock-off of the cover dress. I'll start with Jennifer Close's "The Smart One", which, while I haven't yet read it, has made my TBR list, mostly because this cover caught my eye when I first saw it!

She is so smart that she can't decide how to tie her belt...

Here is the pattern I would choose to create a knockoff version of this dress, a Vogue design (always reliable).

Vogue 8379 is similar with that collar & the 3/4 sleeve cuffs -- assuming
that if our cover model turned around it would be a wrap dress she has on

I'd call it the Smart One dress, and flaunt some jewelry like this that picks up on the orangey blobs in the original, because of course I'd be smart enough to make it from the same fabric. And I'd probably wear shoes too.