A Pretty Party Dress

 Yay! My new dress is finished. I was going to wait until I had somewhere fancy to where it, but I just couldn't wait!

I think it turned out really well!

I got a book from the library a few weeks ago called, "The Party Dress Book" by Mary Adams. She is a clothing designer who specializes in dresses. It really inspired me. There happened to be a template pattern in the back already cut out in my size so I went for it.

If you like rigid instruction, you would probably not love it, but if you have general sewing knowledge, or like to do things your own way, then the pattern will probably work for you. The ruffle was added as an after thought because it was way too short for me (I knew it would be though because I was only working with a small amount of fabric; a fitted sheet).

The bodice does not have boning, but I lined the bodice with a light blue fabric. That's why it looks slightly two toned. The skirt is unlined. Thanks to my very adept mother, I have a lapped zipper instead of the intended centered back zipper. And then there are halter straps, and thats it! I personally loved the pattern (minus a few fit issues) because I have always been one to stray from directions. Like, really. In middle school, I tried to improvise while I played the flute. I knew how to read music, I just thought my way sounded better. Little did I know I was playing Jazz Flute a la Ron Burgundy.

Anyway, I am really excited to have a new dress. Sewing is extremely gratifying.

You can't really see the zipper, but my mom did a really great job with it!

Yay for sewing!

Have a great day :)



Outfit
Dress ~ Made by me (using The Party Dress Book)
Keds wedges ~ Kohls a few years ago

A New Dress From An Old Sheet

So, in my last post I talked about body shapes and talked about how great sewing was because it really gives you the chance to make something to truly fit and flatter your body. I got to thinking and thought I may as well make a dress to illustrate my point. I always buys a few patterns when they go on sale, so I have quite a few vintage reproductions and retro looking patterns in my possession. I even have a few true vintage patterns, but I am a scaredy cat when it comes to unprinted patterns. I decided to make Simplicity 1755. It's a Leanne Marshall pattern (she was on Project Runway).

I chose to make View B, but I decided to use the skirt from view A because it was longer, and I needed the length on account of being so tall. As you will see in the pictures of my dress, it really looks nothing like the picture. I will start by telling you that it was a muslin. Which, for those of you who don't know, is basically a rough draft of a pattern so you can figure out how to make it fit right. Luckily for me, the bodice fit and the waist hit in the right spot, so I didn't need to make any changes there. In the pattern, it calls for a zipper, but I just added some width to the back and sewed it up to make it slip over my head. It make the waist a little loose, but that's what belts are for :).

You might also notice that the neck line is completely different. That's because I didn't make the collar, and just tacked the edges down to create a somewhat sweetheart neckline.

So anyway, here is the result. I still need to hem it, but it's just for being around the house, so it doesn't need to be perfect. Also, I made it out of an old sheet, so you may notice some parts are more vibrant than others.


I wore a crinoline underneath it to give it a fuller look.

Snow on the ground.

See how on the sides, the print is really faint? That's the middle of the sheet.

Pockets!

So, there you have it. This really didn't take too long. I think it was a total of 3 days, but I didn't work on too long any one day. And this is just a muslin. If I decide to make it in a good fabric (I am still not sure I want too..) it will take me even less time.

Happy Sewing!