Skip to main content

Made By A Fabricista: A Breezy Summer Birthday Dress

By Kathy {Kathy Sews}




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

Comments

  1. UnknownJuly 21, 2016 at 9:32 AM

    Very Nice! Pretty fabric

    ReplyDelete
  2. SewCraftyChemistJuly 21, 2016 at 12:37 PM

    It turned out PERFECTLY! I love this! So easy breezy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That Black ChicJuly 21, 2016 at 1:49 PM

    I really like this dress and the fabric is perfect. Now I will say I overlooked this fabric when I saw it but I like it now that I've seen what you've done with it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. PirkkoJuly 23, 2016 at 7:44 AM

    Beautiful! How much fabric did you need for this?

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownJuly 25, 2016 at 4:52 PM

    I have plans on sewing this dress too! It's great to see the dress in action, it looks very comfortable :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. TheTellTaleTashaJuly 27, 2016 at 10:19 AM

    beautiful fabric! the dress looks casual but dressy at the same time so that gives it so many chances to wear! Love

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: College Inspired Cardigan

By
Happy Monday All! It has been a while since I wrote a blogpost and it feels great to be back! Today I am excited to share my daughter who hasn’t graced the blog for quite sometime. Now that my children are older, I have to always get their permission to take photos and share. It took a lot of convincing to get my daughter to rock this FAMU (Florida A & M University) inspired cardigan. I originally planned to make the Blackwood cardigan using the orange and green ponte knit for myself to represent my alma mater FAMU but then realized I cut the wrong size.  I was a bit disappointed at first that I cut a medium instead of a large but knew my daughter would rock it. Additionally, even if I wanted to squeeze in the cardigan, it just could not even pass my elbow when I tried it on. It was definitely a learning experience because I now know that you cannot add a non stretch ribbon around a fitted knit garment sleeve. It must be added to a loose sleeve as the ribbon stops the fabric from s
10 comments
Continue Reading »

Made By A Fabricista: Velvet for the Holidays

By
Are you getting ready for the holidays?  I am.  From past years, it gets so busy in my household around this time of year, so it is never too early to start my holiday sewing.  This year I decided to sew velvet, a fabric I had not sewn for many years but I think it is luxurious.   As luck would have it, FM’s poly rich black velvet flashed on my computer screen and I bought lots.  I thought it would be pretty for a one-shoulder gown, which I had never worn before but admired on others.  The following week FM’s multi-colored one showed up.  It was a poly embossed Bohemian print velvet with jade, yellowish, and crimson colors; it screamed fall and family get-togethers.   I just had to have it!  When the fabrics arrived, the deep colors did not disappoint. I chose Butterick B6557 for both dresses, View B for the knee-length printed dress and View C for the maxi dress. It was perfect for velvets; the front was one whole piece and so was the back.  I cut the fabrics with the nap going down
5 comments
Continue Reading »

Made By A Fabricista: An Outfit for First Snow

By
We had a marvellous autumn in western Canada with warm dry days and just a couple of hints of frost. When I was perusing Fabric Mart Fabric's site in October, I was tempted to focus on pretty florals for blouses or dresses but part of me knew that ... (da dah dum ... ) winter is coming . Fortunately, Fabric Mart was stocked with a huge selection of fabrics that are perfect for winter or holiday sewing. Over the past several months I've been planning my sewing projects so I have pieces that work together. To stick with that theme, I decided to pick a print fabric for a top, and a solid for pants, using navy as the neutral. Pants For the pants, I selected Navy Poly/Nylon/Spandex Stretch Corduroy. This fine 14-wale corduroy is warm enough to wear outdoors but will be especially comfortable indoors. It also has a bit of drape which makes it nice for trousers. And who doesn't want some stretch?  I selected Vogue 9181 (Custom-Fit Bootcut Pants) because it is designed for stretch
Post a Comment
Continue Reading »