Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Touch of Vintage Sundress


I decided to sew along for week 2 of the Project Sewn challenge.  This week's theme was to make a
sundress so I was pretty excited.  I love sundresses and could wear one every day.  They're comfortable and can be dressed up with a nice jacket or cardigan and heels, or dressed down with some flip flops. 


Most of the sundresses in my closet that I love are knit, so I decided to use some pretty floral knit that I had gotten from Girl Charlee a while ago.  The floral made me think vintage, so I knew I'd want to create a sweetheart neckline and use piping.  I also thought it would be cool to add a current trend, neon, so I used some neon green piping to define a waist.  Maybe I should call this dress "A Touch of Neon".  I only put piping in the front because I thought I would add elastic to the back.  But the knit ended up being stretchy enough to not need it. 

I have no idea what I'm doing when making women's clothing and own only one pattern - the Casual Lady Dress/Top.  So I used that pattern as a baseline but completely changed it.  I decided where the waist would be and where I'd want piping.  I also curved the front of the top from the bottom of the arm holes to the fold.  Then added 1/2 seam allowances to my changes.  I measured myself to determine the strap width and length.  I thought I would make a halter, but decided it looked better forming a V in the back.  I tried to slope the back bodice to match that V line.  I used a peachy pink fabric from Girl Charlee for the lining since I only had one yard to work with of the floral knit.  I also added pockets - a must!

I gathered the skirt using pleating to try to keep the vintage vibe.  I tacked together some mini pleats at the center neckline to give it the sweetheart look.  I left the hem of the dress unfinished because it draped better that way, and also to keep it casual - it is a sundress after all!

Since the Casual Lady dress is made with some ease, I had to take the dress in a lot!  I should have measured myself better, but I was afraid to make it too small.  Luckily I had made a center seam in the back of the bodice so I took in 1 1/2 inches there.  It looked nice after that, but still a little ill fitting.  So I took in the sides a little from the piping down.  They are upside down darts - is that a thing?  I'm sure I did something wrong but I like the look.


 Looking forward to Week 3's theme - Totally 80s!!

Also seen at:

15 comments:

  1. okkkk i LOVE this dress!!!! you rock at sewing knits.. an area where I am lacking! fantastic job, girl!! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love the neckline and the piping! And I am totally with you on the pockets--if it doesn't have them, I won't wear it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is so cute! It would be awesome if you linked this up over at our blog. http://shaffer-sisters.blogspot.com/2013/05/make-for-mom-link-up.html
    Hope to see you there!
    with love,
    Jo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was considering it - thanks for the nudge!

      Delete
  4. We are featuring you today over at http://shaffer-sisters.blogspot.com/. Thanks for linking up. Feel free to stop by and grab a button.
    with love,
    Jo

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love the changes you made to the pattern...it's so adorable. I LOVE the vintage vibe!!!!
    -liZ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much! I have a feeling this pattern will get used a bunch.

      Delete
  6. It looks great. I can't wait to see what you come up for 80's week. I'm skipping next week to catch up on some other projects, but I'll be back for the final week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 80's week is tough - so many trends. It's been hard to not go overboard!

      Delete
  7. Okay, forget the Etsy shop - I'll just pay you to make dresses for me :) I LOVE this dress - especially the "V" in the back - so cute!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love the dress! Can't wait to see more...you are making me want to get my sew on... still haven't ventured to clothes yet... I really want to make the striped dress you made! Love that!

    ReplyDelete
  9. A KNIT SUNDRESS. This is genius! it must be so comfortable and wearable!! Not to mention sooo pretty! (I'm a sucker for florals!)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have been all over tiny florals this spring, something about them makes me swoon. Great job with the piping and overall fit!

    mAE

    ReplyDelete