Made by a Fabricista: Seersucker in Summer

Simplicity 8124

I had a great idea for another summer look to follow up my little white dress from my June post, a mother/daughter dress duo out of classic blue and white seersucker. This seersucker was easy to work with and as a bonus it is 63" wide! I would note two things. 1) Since this fabric is 100% polyester it doesn't hold a press well 2) It does fray so you will definitely need to serge or otherwise finish your seams.

Vogue 8968 from vogue.mccall.com

My original plan was to create Vogue 8968 for myself and a simple pillowcase dress for my step-daughter. As you can see the above is not a picture of V8968. Let me tell you what happened, lol. The Vogue pattern is a loose-fitting, pullover dress which features a handkerchief hemline and sleeve bands. I cut the front and back on the grain so that the body of the dress features horizontal stripes. I wanted vertical stripes on the hem band and the sleeve cuff so I cut those pieces against the grain.

V8968 You can see the the size small dress pulling across the bust.

I have sewn up V8968 View B in a small previously and it was a little large. So this time I decided to sew an XS. Well that was a EPIC FAIL, I can't even show you the extra small. I decided I had underestimated the amount of ease I needed at the bust for a semi-loose dress. Back to the ~~drawing~~ cutting board. Thank goodness I hadn't cut out the girls pillowcase dress. I recut the front, back and sleeve band pieces in a S. To save fabric I decided I could reuse the XS hemband. Once again I sewed it up and tried it on before finishing my raw hems and again TOO SMALL! And I was and still am pretty bummed about this because other than the pulling I really like this dress.

V8968 You can see the pulling in the back as well.

Where did I go wrong? First, I didn't re-try on the previous dress I had sewn. It was too large last year when I made it but it's possible, more like probable, that I've gained a few pounds. Second, I failed to take the fabric into consideration. The first time I made this dress I used a rayon challis and challis has more drape than a cotton seersucker. That being said this dress has a stiffer look than my prior version.

from www.simpliciity.com

After my fitting fail. I had to change my game plan to bring y'all something presentable. Since off-the-shoulder is all the rage this summer I pulled out the no fail Simplicity 8124. Sticking with my original idea of a dress, I choose View A. Thankfully with some creative pattern piece placing I had just enough fabric left, sadly this meant ditching my mommy and me dress idea for this post (I will still make her one maybe with this red, blue and white seersucker).

S8124

This dress is a very easy sew, with just three pieces simply sew the side seams, sleeve seams and attach the sleeves to the body. After that all that is left the neckline casing and hemming. I did make a modification by changing the full sleeve to a short puff sleeve. To achieve this I simply shortened the sleeve about 5" to mid bicep and added elastic to the hem sleeve.

Though this dress looks great flowy and full, I prefer to wear it belted. I just added this tan elastic belt and white cork heeled sandals for an effortless summer look.

Please learn from my mistakes! Check your body measurements often, consider your fabric and how it behaves and always cut a larger size when in doubt.

Tiffany of TipStitched

Made By A Fabricista: Basics vs Fun Clothes

Every summer I make flowy, pretty dresses because they are so fun for me to make, wear, and they keep me cool as temperatures rise. But when the days get shorter and autumn rolls around, I’m not always confident on how best to transition my summery dresses into garments that will allow for the seasonal changes. In an effort to be more intentional about maximizing the use of my clothing, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to make for August. It’s been a hot summer in New Jersey. From what I can see, it’s been a hot summer across the US. Looking for clothing that will keep me cool, perhaps hide some sweat stains, and allow me to transition between seasons, I decided to make separates that would pair well with each other and allow me to mix and match with the rest of my wardrobe. For the top, I wanted a basic tank top, something I could layer later on. For the bottoms, I wanted flowy, summery pants that can last into brisker weather or become phenomenally cozy in front of my wint...

Made By A Fabricista: Sewing Summery ITY

Hi sewing friends! I’m dropping in to share a few makes sewn with ITY fabrics and inspire you to try out this slinky, cool-to-the-touch fabric for hot weather if you haven’t yet, or to recommend some patterns that work fabulously if you already love it. This is by far my favorite knit to wear in summer. Since it moves easily there’s lots of airflow, and it just skims the body. More often than not, it has a four-way stretch that doesn’t grow when worn, so it works great for loads of styles. ITY stands for Interlock Twist Yarn and the knit gives it some wonderful drape and stretch. There are lots of different weights and even some differing textures. Because it’s so fluid, the fabric really resists most wrinkling. I’ve sewn three different weights and prints here to show off just what ITY can do! This white floral is a lighter weight and features a slightly crepe-textured finish, and I think that combined with the large and spread-out floral makes it quite elegant and eye-cat...

Made By A Fabricista: From Paris with Love!

Bonjour! I am still in bliss from my recent trip to Paris!! It was much more than I expected and I absolutely fell in love with the city. I can honestly see myself living there one day. I knew before leaving I wanted to make something to fit into the Parisian landscape because I knew it would be a special opportunity. I was inspired by one of my favorite fashion creators Juliette Foxx. Her checked gingham corset and wide leg pants were on my list to remake. For fabric I used this red and white pin stripe denim twill and deep red sateen for the pants. The pattern I used for the corset was McCall’s #M8182 with a few modifications. The fit was a little large so I took it in along the sides and shoulder seam. I then lowered the neckline since the shoulders were taken in. I used the sateen as my lining which gave a great contrast. My pants are my unreleased pattern which happens to be exact from the inspiration. I drafted these last year and have been wo...

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog