Summer Dress and Sewing Plans

This is something I planned on making for about the last 3 months or so. I wanted to enter a contest and this was one of the patterns that could be used as an entry. Since I already had it, I thought “no problem”. The entry wasn’t due until July 1st. That was before I got sick in June which put my sewing off for about a week or so. So, on June 29th, I decided to go for it. Miraculously, I made this in 2 days!

Simplicity 8384

This is Simplicity 8384. I used a stretch cotton twill that’s fairly light-weight. This is View C which is the shortest of the dress lengths. I was concerned about making the handkerchief hem (I thought it would be much more difficult), but everything worked out well. As you know if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, I love pockets so this was another reason for me to love this dress.

The dress features elastic in the back to help hold it in and give it some shape. It just helps to accentuate the waist. Otherwise it would be fairly shapeless and I don’t wear garments like that. It’s just not a good look for me. Since I’m sort of rectangular shaped, I like anything that makes me look like I have a waist!

I didn’t need to change the pattern in any way. The only thing I did differently was to use sew-on snaps instead of buttons. It just seemed that there was enough going on with the polka dots. I didn’t want to add anything extra to the dress.

This is a perfect little casual day dress that’s great for summer.

Now as for future sewing plans, I’m in the process of making myself some shorts, then on to a couple of T-shirts. I have a new pattern I want to try for that. I feel like I’m getting back on track with my sewing and blogging so I need to continue and forge ahead. I made good progress for the first half of the year. Now that we are into the second half (unbelievable), I want to continue working towards my goals and sharing my journey along the way.

Until next time…

Dressmaking With Vogue 8766

I haven’t made myself a dress in quite some time. I always realize what I want to wear (and what I don’t have) when I need it. I’m trying to change that. I’m sure many of you have noticed as I have that many sewists are taking to creating their own collections. I’m currently participating in the Seamwork Magazine “Design Your Wardrobe” course which has really made me think about this more and more. This has been four weeks of information and inspiration and is designed specifically for sewers. So, I consider this dress the first piece in my mini-collection.

Vogue 8766

I used stretch cotton sateen for this (I’ve had this material for about 2 years now). I’m not sure if the pattern is still available because I’ve had that for a while too.

In fact, when I was looking for a pattern to use, I realized that I had bought this one twice! I made View F for may dress (without the ribbon tie).

Although I had more than enough fabric, I did have an issue getting the skirt cut out correctly and I basically had to make some changes so it would fit the fabric.

But I’m really happy with the way it came out. I’m currently making a black knit jacket to go with the dress as part of my “collection”.

If you have this pattern I would certainly recommend making it. There are a lot of options including many for warmer weather. I hope to have my other pieces ready to share with you soon. I think that thinking in terms of “collection” sewing will solve my problem of having several pieces, but not necessarily having things that go together, at least not initially. My goal is to have a more cohesive look with pieces that I can mix and match.

Vogue 8997

I LOVE this dress! It’s feminine without being frilly or fussy. It’s also surprisingly easy to make. This is one of those patterns that I bought because I really liked the style, but then put off actually making. I thought it would be far more complicated than it was.

I used a linen blend fabric (washable) that I’ve had for a while and a solid purple lining. The only change I made to the pattern was to raise the neckline about 2″. After making the muslin, I decided that that would be a more comfortable neckline for me personally. Originally, the front and back neck are (I believe) about the same depth.

This is not only a great summer dress pattern, but has enough variations (including long sleeves) that it can be made all year.

Until next time… Happy sewing!