Monday, April 20, 2015

A breezy summer dress

Hi readers! After a long struggle with word-press I am officially throwing in the towel and going to be posting regularly here. I'd love to share my most recently completed project with you-- a self drafted summer dress.This didn't come out to be as wearable as I'd hoped due to how lightweight the fabric is, but was really fun to make and helped me learn a lot about drafting my own patterns.


I found the fabric at Micheal Levine's in LA for $5 a yard and wish I'd gotten the entire bolt, as I so often do. I've been yearning for something with a chic high neckline and spaghetti straps like something I'd have worn if I was born a decade earlier, and it seemed the best way to use these stripes without being boring. 

The straps are made using a cording technique where you sew a cord into the fabric and then use it to turn it right side out. Let me know if you're interested in a tutorial! The chevron skirt was made using this tutorial (thanks Miranda!)

This was my first time attempting to match stripes, and while it was sometimes challenging and I definitely didn't nail it 100%, I loved the feeling of getting it right. I definitely want to sew with stripes again very soon!


Because my serger was being completely useless at the time, I used a ballpoint needle with a mock overlock stitch for most of the seams, and a double needle for the hem. The dress hasn't fallen apart through a few wears and washes so I'd say it worked well.


Overall I love how it looks on my lovely assistant (with one exception), but if I was sewing it again I'd definitely add a lining and make the front of the skirt a bit longer. Because of the bias skirt it really hugs my form, which is not my usual comfort zone. I'll probably end up wearing it around the house and to the pool as a coverup because without a lining it's impossible to wear it without panty-lines showing, and going bare is out of the question with such a short front (for me anyway.)

Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think!