Soothing sky blue flowers with a cloudy white background and round shisha mirrorwork skirt. Dress of the day 318.

Angela in Soothing blue top patterned with white clouds. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

The Blue Top
The top is brand Nightingales, of the UK, 100% polyester, both the shell and the lining. I recall that Nightingales was taken over by one of the big companies. I still have a traditional Victorian style cotton full length long sleeve night dress which I wear frequently. i could not find the company in Wikipedia, but eventually I found them on ebay.co.uk, selling tops and skirts - lots of blue, new and second hand. Then I found the Nightingales brand on the Ambrose Wilson site, selling mother of the bride outfits. 

I looked at the fabric again. It is slightly stretchy with a diagonal weave. The effect is matt. So it would not go with satin effect dark blue skirts.

The front has horizontal bust darts, one either side. The back has two vertical darts in the middle, not reaching the top nor the hem. You can see the darts more clearly when you turn the top inside out and look at the lining. 

The effect of the darts is a slight flare. Very pretty.

The White Blouse
I felt that white was easier to match up than blue. I soon found a white long sleeve blouse with a collar. I wore that all afternoon, with a visitor, a book editor, my friend Carolyn. I was reading the chapters of my book on Facebook and wanted to look smart. 

However, after she left, after evening dinner, I felt hot. So I took off the blouse.

The Sleeveless Top's Pattern
I thought the pattern was blue sky and white clouds. I was muddling it up with another top. Only when I laid it flat and looked closely did I see a flower. The pattern is splodgy flowers. 

The Sleeveless Top Colors
The blues are in three shades. A pale grey is almost unnoticeable.

The Spanish Skirt, Indian Style with Mirrors
It looks Indian. Blue, with little round 'mirrors' edged with blanket stitch in red, or white, or pale turquoise. Look closely and feel. I could bend them slightly. I conclude they must be some kind of reflective plastic.
 
The skirt is 100% rayon. It was so long that it was getting dirty outdoors and tripping me up indoors. Long enough to be turned into a dress. I shall sew on two blue straps, wide ribbons to hoist it up over my shoulders to stop it falling off.

What if I want to wear it around the house as a skirt? Or simply wrap it around as a skirt to make it tighter? I can consider making the ribbons into four loose ribbons which tie over the shoulders. That way they can hang down from the waist, or tie into bows if I wear the skirt as a skirt. 

Carolyn told me, "You can get plain skirts or underskirts in little India for only two Sing dollars." 
My reaction? "Yes, please!"

But what about the mirror work skirt? I have two, one green, heavy, one blue, lightweight.
Red edge shisha mirror on my blue skirt. Photo credit by Angela Lansbury.


DIY Mirror-work
You can buy mirrors from sewing and craft supply shops. Or make your own, using aluminium foil, foil from Champagne bottles, or jewel effects from discs cut from cards such as Xmas cards. You may need to hand wash in cold water. And be careful the cloth behind the mirror dries and does not go rusty or mouldy.

You can buy the mirrors with ready cut holes for you to stitch. With what kind of stitch? Cross stitch. Ladder stitch. Filling stitches. Chain stitches.

You can buy the mirrors loose, in round shapes, squares, oblongs, or tear-drops. 

Both the round and square ones can be secured by sewing two horizontal bands just in from the edge, then two vertical bands. So you have a line inset on four sides, like a picture frame covering the edge, then oversewing the frame. 

That is great if you want to add one or two to decorate an existing garment or bag, or scarf, or headband. Or to cover a stain or hole. 

But why go to all that trouble when you can buy many little mirrors already edged, probably machine stitched? From Amazon.

Or buy lengths of cloth inset with mirrors.

Wikipedia.




Useful Websites
Nightingales Clothes
https://www.ambrosewilson.com/shop/c/womens/dresses/mother-of-the-bride-dresses/f/Brand--Nightingales

Shisha Mirrors
How to sew and make Shisha Mirrors and Inserts
https://www.needlenthread.com/2015/01/shisha-mirrors-for-embroidery.html
Mirrors to Buy

Sewing Mirrors
Ladder Stitch
About the Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.


Books by Angela Lansbury
How to be the best man. (Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Wedding Speeches and Toasts.(Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Unforgettable British Weekends.
Poetry Workshop Workbook.
The Tailor and the Spy. (Lulu.)
Larry The Talking Labrador. (Lulu.)
Writing Poetry for fun.

Quick Quotations

Who Said What When



 


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