Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: Red Hot Summer Halter Dress


It has happened to all of us a least once right? You see a pattern and you KNOW you have to make it, like ASAP! Well that is the feeling I had about this new Summer pattern from Vogue.
As soon as I saw Vogue 1546 I knew I had to have this pattern as well as a few others (see my blog for my thoughts on the whole collection). The unique design of this dress really grabbed my attention. I love the halter neckline, the back cut out and the full pleated skirt... all of it! So while I originally had something else in mind for this months post I quickly ditched those plans to make this dress.

from fabricmartfabrics.com

The pattern calls for medium weight twill, poplin or linen, so I immediately thought to use Fabric Mart's amazing designer linen. I have used this linen before (see here) and I knew it would be the perfect texture and weight. For that reason selecting the fabric was the easy part, the tricky part was deciding on a color! I mean, come on, there are 23 colors to choose from! At first I was going to go with bright orange just like the envelope model is wearing (we're about the same complexion so I thought why not?), then cycled through the avocado (because I've wanted to use it for a while), purple (because it is one of my favorite colors) and sunflower (because it looked so summery!) Obviously I decided on this bright red because it is one of my favorite colors and my husband loves it on me.



On to the sewing...at first glance the pattern looked a tad advanced and I was surprised Vogue categorizes it as average. However after constructing the dress I realized Vogue was right, there was nothing in the construction of  this dress that I had not done before. I read over the instructions more closely than usual and followed them for particular steps however as typical for me, I constructed the dress all out of order.


I wasn't sure what size to cut as my actual measurement are 38", 35", 42" give or take and I fell between a 16 and a 18. I decided to start with the lining to test the fitting. I often do this as to not waste my main fabric if I'm wrong and if all goes well my lining is done! I graded from a size 16 at the shoulder and bust to a size 18 at the waist and hip. When I test fit the front bodice and skirt I decided the 18 was about 1/2" too large and decided to cut the 16. At that point I took in the skirt and discarded the front bodice (as it is to be self lined).

1. Attach one side of zipper to right side of back band
2. Grab the back band lining
3. Place lining piece over outer piece lining up edges and pin
4. Sew around the back band leaving side open for turning

The bodice is simple and I think you could use lining fabric if you prefer as long as it is close in color and you press your garment well and understitch to ensure the lining doesn't peek out. The back band was simple as well though I veered away from the pattern instructions to eliminate any hand sewing. After attaching the zipper to the right side of the band band the instructions have you fold over and press the seam allowances on the zipper side of both the band and band lining before sewing the top and bottom edges finishing with hand sewing the inner band at the zipper. Instead I simply placed the band lining RSF over the band main fabric, sewed along the perimeter being careful to to hit the zipper teeth and leaving the band side open for turning. That way you can eliminate the hand sewing.

Where I re-positioned the back band on the side bodice.

Thankfully I remembered to do another test fit of the bodice before joining the self lining. I had way too much give in the back band. I suppose I should have cut a size 14 bodice instead of a 16. The fix was easy, I simply ripped out the stitches and moved the band over as well as changed the angle pinned and tried it back on. Thankfully my first attempt was pretty much dead on.



EDIT: ...or so I thought, I didn't notice how tight the back band was until I took these pictures. Sigh the disadvantage of looking over your shoulder at a mirror and going by feel. The tightness made me feel supported in the front but it unfortunately caused my back fat to spill out. Next time I will cut a 16 bodice front but a 14 back band and keep the 16 skirt. Carry on....




Next up was the skirt which I was dreading simply because I hate transferring all the marking necessary for pleats and there are quite a few on this skirt. Honestly though once I started I was done in no time. I originally wondered why there was a top and bottom skirt piece, it looked to me like that it could have just one front and back piece. I believe I understand why now. The top front and back top skirt piece is interfaced and that makes the skirt really stand out. If you cut one piece the fullness of the pleats would be lost. The skirt sewed up in less time than it took me to transfer all the skirt markings.


Since my lining was already finished it was all a breezed from here. I just sandwiched the bodice between the skirt and the skirt lining, understitched the skirt and hemmed. ALL DONE!


Despite my issue with the back band, I love this dress. This linen is absolutely amazing! I love the bright color, the texture, the hand, the weight...everything. Make sure you grab some, it's perfect for summer dresses, tunics, wide legged pants and more!


~ Tiffany

Comments

  1. Tiffany, this is beautiful! You look amazing in this and thank you for all the details on fitting this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Sue! I don't always remember to take pictures the process but I'm glad I did this time.

      Delete
  2. Beautiful dress and how rare to see linen in this brilliant colour red. I have similar experiences with patterns...expecting to run into trouble and then amazed that it comes together without a hitch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. This red was even more gorgeous in real life than it appeared online. Don't you love it when things come together?!

      Delete
  3. Beautiful outfit and color. Not to tight across the back and if you feel as though it is just open up a tad. Otherwise great fit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. The more I look at it the less it bothers me.

      Delete
  4. Wow! What a showstopping dress. You did a great job, and I bet you will wear this a lot!

    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: Why Sew A Muslin

Here it is, my September blog post featuring Newlook N6692 and this pretty rayon challis from Fabric Mart! This pattern style is so in right now. The square neckline, cute puff sleeves and the tiered skirt are all exactly what I was looking for in a summer dress. As always I started with making a muslin first!  Let’s get into why it’s important to start with a muslin.  A muslin is basically a practice garment. It prevents you from cutting into your good fabric prematurely.  I usually use a muslin fabric (natural cotton) but you should also consider using a fabric that is the same weight as your fashion fabric. This will give you a truer gauge of how the garment is going to lay in the final fabric. Anytime I try out a new pattern company I make a muslin. This was my first time using a Newlook pattern so I need to know what the ease would be like for this pattern. Also I need to see how the bust would fit me and where I would need to make adjustments. Plus there were some new techniques

Made By A Fabricista: The Love of Sewing - Basic Pieces for a Beginner

Happy Friday All! It has been a while since I made myself a dress. I am excited to sew after not making anything since my last post (whew) and finally sharing some photos.  This past summer has been a roller coaster journey with plans to release a small collection and then deciding that right before the launch to postpone. Sewing has brought me joy over the past 8 years and the mere fact to sew daily for orders had me in a panic mode. I really don’t want to walk away from my craft due to burn out  and decided that if I do sew for others, it would be only for local clients. Moreover, If next year I decide to launch, it would be seasonal and not year round. I really want to share my talent and love for sewing with others but don’t want it to be a full time job and lose the passion in me.  After a bit of soul searching, teaching and sharing my talent with my community will always be my first love. For the past 2 summers, I was blessed to partner with two nonprofit organizations’ local sum

Made By A Fabricista: End of Summer

Summer is nearing to an end but here where I am in Texas the heat isn’t letting up any time soon!  I still have plenty of time to get a few more summer looks out of the way.  In this blog I will be sharing two separate projects. The first project is this denim set; I had the inspiration saved on my list of makes to make.  For this project I got this gorgeous denim and matching thread to start my project. Yes, Fabric Mart will match the thread to your fabric perfectly and with my favorite thread brand Gutermann.  The denim had a very great weight and wasn’t too stiff.  It was very starchy when it arrived, so I did a prewash before working with it.  I’m so glad I did because it had a lot of dye saturated in which would not have been great for the skin and other clothes. For the first part of the set, I drafted a corset with the scallop edge cups, such a cute detail!   To start I used my bodice sloper to make the corset, I was not worried about the design details and focused more on