Made By A Fabricista: A Breezy Summer Birthday Dress

Happy birthday to me!! I try to sew a breezy, easy wearing summer dress every July in the loudest print I can find (like this one from a couple years ago.) This year I pulled out my BurdaStyle stash and found 5/2014 #117, the epitome of casual summer dresses!

I picked up this "palm trees at sunset" print rayon challis and it was on!! I cut a straight size 42. Normally I size up in the hip, but clearly this has a very full skirt and is totally accommodating to the pear shaped gal.

I added 1" to the bodice length, a normal alteration for me to work for me at 5'8"-- Burda's patterns are designed for someone who is 5'6". I excluded the pockets on the hips. Who doesn't love a pocket?!! Me. I find they add too much bulk exactly where I don't want it, so bye bye hip pockets.

I love those narrow, little straps. But I severely dislike the way Burda said I should sew them where you have to turn them right side out by pulling them through themselves, struggling, screaming profanity and nearly giving up 1/2 way through strap #1... blah blah blah. I just fold them in half a couple times, iron them and zip them through my sewing machine. I could care less if I see a line of stitches on the straps on this super casual maxi dress. If I had some cute ribbon, that would have been a great option for the straps and tie on the bodice, too.

Bras are an issue here, folks. A regular bra with straps can be okay-- if the straps are lined up right, they can blend in, appearing like another strap on the dress. But I opted to do a strapless bra. If you have a figure that can handle being bra-less, you're a lucky one.

I love the drape and weight of rayon challis, plus is sews up so well on both my regular machine and my serger. And it washes and dries nicely if you pull it out of the dryer ASAP-- no ironing for me. I don't iron ever, unless it's a special occasion or I am in the process sewing.

Hopefully I am eating cake and ice cream while you are reading this, not spilling my birthday yummies all over my sassy new dress.

Happy Summer Sewing!!

~Kathy

Kathy Sews

Made by a Fabricista: Brushed Wool/Cashmere Car Coat

I've been eyeing the Michael Kors Wool Blend Coatings for some time now. Fabric Mart had the most gorgeous array of coating colors that I have ever seen! During COVID stay at home time, I've been letting my gray grow out, and I thought that even though those gorgeous sherbet shades like apricot and apple green would be beautiful, the heathered gray shade would be the most flattering to my gray hair and the most versatile. Apparently, others thought the same, as the gray is sold out now, but there are still many colors available here: Coating Category When I received my fabric, I was just astonished at how soft it was and what a beautiful drape it had. I searched and searched for the perfect pattern- changing my mind at least a dozen times before I settled on Simplicity 3672. This is one of the few patterns that only was available in sizes 18-24, and not in smaller sizes. It is about 10 years old, but there are definitely copies available on the internet. I made a cr

Made by a Fabricista: Hello Fall

My sewjo has definitely been lacking due to trying to shelter in place. Back in March when we started working/schooling from home my sewjo had a little spike as initially felt like I had a bit of extra time in my day. Sadly, it didn't take too long to lose that extra hour I'd gained due to not commuting. Add to that the fact there's no where to go so when would I wear these makes. Lastly I, like many, have gained weight the last few months (that's not totally Covids fault) and sometimes I hate sewing for a size I'm not so happy with. Picking up skating helped a bit because I could sew and wear new makes to social distance skate events, but what really kicked me back into high gear was the arrival of fall. Usually summer is my favorite season to sew for, but during this time of staying home cozy loungewear and comfy separates are really speaking to me. So when I was looking for fabrics this month I selected three double knits to make some easy to wear fall looks. T

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