As a teenager, Dianne Ludwig spent many weekends with her Husqvarna sewing machine set up on the kitchen table, creating up-to-the-minute fashionable clothing. Dianne loved the immediacy of cutting, sewing, and finishing a garment within the space of a day and describes her attitude as "speed over accuracy", as the upside down bodice panel testifies. Dianne bought the fabric and pattern because she liked its 50s/60s styling, similar to that of the vintage dresses she was attracted to 
in op shops and at Auckland’s Cook Street Market. She put her own spin on the style, sometimes wearing this dress back-to-front. Read more about the history of home sewing in the New Zealand Fashion Museum publication Home Sewn.