I made a sheer 1920s chiffon dress with appliqued pink roses inspired by these 1920s sewing instructions for the rose appliques. But instead of chiffon velvet on chiffon, I used georgette on chiffon. At first I feared the chiffon would distort terribly while appliqueing the roses but it went better than expected.

Instead of basting the georgette to the dress – as the 1920s instructions recommend – I just pinned the georgette rectangle to the chiffon. Then I stitched the rose petals freehand roughly like the roses of the 1920s dress. This way all my roses look a bit different – but I like it because it looks so natural.

I zigzaged round each rose petal before I cut the georgette away. Appliques in the 1920s were often done with a tiny zigzag stitch as here. After washing the dress, the edges frayed a bit but the applique is still securely attached.

As the dress is sheer, it can be worn with different colored slips. Here I wear it with a green slip. I also wear my 1920s chiffon cloche hat. And here you’ll find my tutorial for a 1920s imitation picot hem which I used to finish the hem of this dress.