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Fan Feature: Erika from Erika Made It

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Have you ever seen a beautiful fabric on our website and fell in love and then discovered it was a panel and thought, now what the heck am I going to make with that?!
Well, wonderful things are possible and our guest today, Erika from erikamadeit.blogspot.com shows us how it is done. 

We found Erika while prowling the interweb for great sewers. 
I was shocked and amazed when I came across Erika wearing Fabric Mart fabric!
And even more impressed when I realized that the fabric she chose was in fact a panel. 

Enough of me talking...check out this gorgeous dress will ya?!
I love this dress! My maid of honor told me to get sewing, and make myself a dress for my bridal shower. Everything about the shower is a surprise, so I handed off the dress to her right after I finished it, and won't see it again until after the surprise. 

This dress is all about the fabric. When I saw this double paneled floral cotton from Fabric Mart's daily pick on facebook,  I snapped it up at only $3.99 a yard. As you can see, one side has more flower coverage than the other. 
I never worked with a paneled fabric before, and carefully cut the pieces for this Frankenstein pattern. I used vintage Butterick 9752, as the inspiration, and followed those directions, but used the trusty pattern simplicity 2444, for the front bodice and skirt, just to make fitting a little easier. The scoop neck back and buttonholes pattern was a raised version of the vintage Butterick, I raised the scoop a bit just so I could wear a bra. I love the ric rac trim around the neckline and hem, I can't believe I've never done this before. 
The back closes with 5 buttons, and is attached to the skirt that has a small invisible zipper closure. I will surely make another version of this sweet dress. 

Is this not this just the greatest?
Thank you, Erika!
We love admiring your dress! Great work!
Visit Erika's blog to see more of her fabulous projects: http://erikamadeit.blogspot.com/

Comments

  1. juneAugust 17, 2012 at 7:05 AM

    see also http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/2012/06/blue-rose-sheath-dress.html for another dress made from the same fabric

    ReplyDelete
  2. TeenaGraceAugust 17, 2012 at 9:16 AM

    Very, very nicely done!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. KayAugust 17, 2012 at 11:32 AM

    So cute! I love the details: the rickrack trim used as piping and along the hem, the button back. And she did a great job with the pattern placement! I love the way the roses climb up each strap in the back, and there is a bib-like effect in the front. She'll be happy to look back at these pictures in her wedding album!

    The fabric is beautiful too. I love the combination of printed and embossed flowers.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Manitoulin ThreadsAugust 17, 2012 at 4:39 PM

    I just found the Fabricmart blog, I can't believe I never noticed it before. Fabulous projects and fun content. Keep it up!

    ReplyDelete

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