Flamenco Dress + Auditioning!

Auditions for Sew-vivor season 2 at Family Ever After... have started today and I have been waiting until the very last minute to make up my mind. I wasn't quite sure if I would try the auditions or if I'd just sew along the challenges. After a lot of thinking I decided I'll go for it, trying won't do me harm and who knows? Maybe I could make it to the Top 10? - let me dream a little, ok?

We can audition with something we have made before. First I was in shock, I went looking through all the things I have done, they are so many, from the simpliest thing you can imagine to corsets and underbusts! But I chose someting that's very dear to me: my first Flamenco dress!

I'm half Spanish, my father's from Huelva, in the south of Spain, near Seville. There is a huge tradition of Romerias, a religious event that takes place every year. I grew up making part of that. I too wore my flamenco dresses when I was younger and we lived there, and wearing a flamenco dress just makes you feel beautiful and special. They are magic and a little like princesses dresses.

My daughter was 11 months old by the time of my dad's village Romeria. A few months before the event I had decided I would make her a flamenco dress too. Her cousin had one so I made hers copying the cousin's. The fabric I used was equal, and I tried to make it as much as the original, just smaller =)

Here they are, my niece using hers (bought) and my baby using hers (made by ME). The typical pants and suspenders from the nephew were made by me as well). I had shared a little about those two projects here, but had never showed the final results yet.

Flamenco dresses aren't easy to make though. Not everyone can make a genuine flamenco dress. And I'm not saying mine is, but I was pretty happy with what I achieved! Even my supplies were bought in Spain (Huelva). My mom's boss gave me a few tips on the supplies, things that are typical to the dress that I didn't know before.

When I started the dress, I thought about making a tutorial, because I didn't find any when I searched for one online, but let me tell you, I was so involved in the ruffles, that after some point I just forgot to keep registering all the steps. It is all about the ruffles, dear god! And this was only a 12 months old dress. 

Here's what I got though. I started by drafting my own pattern as usual. Cut the pieces: 3 to make the front, 4 to make the back. Both in polka dots fabric and plain blue fabric for the lining.

Sewed all pieces together by the sides and then on the shoulders.

Then I started cutting the ruffles, and again, I got way too lost to keep taking photos of the steps.