Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: Pieces of Plaids & a Few Ruffles

[This dress was made for and modeled by my daughter Mori]


Hello All, it's good to be back. How about the competition? The ladies all did a great job and I want to welcome Marcia to the team! So I am getting back in the mix with a few pieces of plaid and a few other prints. Now you guys know how I am with the mixing of the prints and with is s wild one right here. I mixed the two plaids with a stripe and a little flower power. [Flower print not from Fabric mart and I couldn't find the stripe fabric online]

             
Now I'm going to let you guys in on my thought process with this dress.  I ordered two prints that could go together and then I ordered two prints that you would never think to put with these plaid prints. I did not let myself think about how they did not match I was just going to use all four  prints.
I had already chosen the pattern for the project McCall's 7537, which was a few different views but I was going with view  B. Once I nailed down the prints for each part, there was no turning back.

That's the thing when mixing prints, you have to commit and stay on course, it works out most of the time and some times it doesn't. I like this crazy little dress, it reminds me of an old fashioned barmaid's dress, it just doesn't have the corset. 


My changes or additions:

  • I added bias tape to the collar facing and to the  neck ruffles, which makes them stand out as opposed to laying down. I like the way they stand up  but Mori, not so much, she said it reminds her of a clown. [She said I need to remove the ruffles.] 
  • I did not add the loops for the lace -up front because the ruffles was enough, so it's pretty low cut. 
  • I removed 3 inches from the skirt and added a little ruffle at the bottom, so it's a little shorter that the original length. 

Also getting into the dress was a little on the tight side, it has no zipper in the back but on the left side under the arm. We had to get one shoulder in and finagle to get the other. Mori had broad shoulders but I thought with the open neckline that would make it easier. That's one thing that I do not like about a fitted dress with a zipper under the arm, you may have trouble getting it over your head and shoulders.




 

 



Please leave a comment and let me know what you think about mixing prints!
Also my magazine that I am publishing " Sewn Magazine" will be released on Nov 6th and we are taking orders now! This is a physical magazine. Make sure you get your copy today!


Order a copy HERE

Thanks for watching! Michelle @ www.thatblackchic.com


Comments

  1. Michelle, normally I love your creations but this one, not so much.
    I think it was a little too much in the mixing department. The dress itself was nice but the mix wasn't.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Angie , I think this is the response that I will get from a lot of people on this one but I'll take it. I think if I used a different dress pattern, I could have won you over with the prints......maybe

      Delete
  2. Your prints are perfect together. Could you press the ruffles down? I once interviewed, Kay of Serendipity patterns (podcast Sew Forth Now) and she said to press ruffles flat. Her point was that ruffles add volume and fullness to the body and most of the time we don't want/need that. So she said just press them flat, that has stuck with me all these years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No that wouldn't work for this ruffle because it is a three circle patterns sewn together and sewn on straight. They would have laid if I didn't put the bias on because the fabric is shirt weight. I like the way the ruffles turned out but Mori didn't.

      Delete
  3. You put a lot of work into this. I love your style, skills, and creativity---but, this one...not so much. The style--reminds me of the 60's/70's maxi/peasant era, print mixing--a little over the top. IDK, maybe it's me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Robin you sound like Mori! Hahaha! But you know what you're right about the maxi look.

      Delete
  4. I love the idea using the bias tape with the ruffles. Doing a ruffles project for my daughter and a top and I will definitely try the bias tape to make it stand out a bit.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Girl I'm here for this mix and I don't even love red white and blue! I think people get caught up in matchy-matchy far to much. It's supposed to be VERY different and that's the beauty of it. You have have EXCELLENT construction skills but you already know that. Keep it up girl!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm a girl of the 70's and I think this dress is so cute and young looking. Your daughter is a beautiful girl and she looks adorable in this dress. Great job putting it all together. I'd wear it in a heartbeat (if I looked like your daughter).

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love the dress and love the patterns. It is not exactly mainstream, it just has to be worn by someone who has as much personality as the dress.

    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: Bold Aspen Dress for Spring

 As I write this in mid-April, central New Jersey weather is showing small signs of spring. My neighbor’s daffodils are blooming and our magnolia tree is trying to unfold its vibrant magenta petals. I am in the midst of preparing my wardrobe for the warmer months, even if we are still huddling against windy 30 degree days. For me, warm weather means linen. I love breathable, floaty linen sundresses and drapey, loose linen wide-leg pants. My vision for a spring piece was something bold and bright, inspired by the natural colors of blooming flowers, but also something that could transition well between the warmer and cooler months. When I saw Fabric Godmother’s Apsen Dress, I knew that it had the sensible transitional opportunities I was looking for while also providing a blank canvas for fun prints, patterns and colors. With the pattern in mind, I then turned to the stunning linen collection that Fabric Mart always has on hand to see what colors or patterns would best suit my visio...

Made By A Fabricista: Celebrating warm weather with Spring sewing!

Hi sewing friends! I don’t know about you but boy, was winter cold and dreary this year! The weather here in the Philadelphia area has been slowly improving, but Spring sure did take her sweet old time to arrive. So by April, I was definitely in the headspace of needing to sew up things that were either bright and cheery or meant for the warmer weather I am very much craving right now. I recently purchased a few SewBexx Patterns so I took them on a test run to create some Spring makes. First on my list was to make a top using this absolutely gorgeous ITY fabric I picked up last year. I had two yards which was enough for a long sleeve shirt. I chose the Olivia top, which is oversized with a drop shoulder, has multiple lengths and a split hem. I think the pattern is intended for heavier fabrics but I was envisioning how lovely this top would look with the drape of ITY knit fabric, and it did not disappoint. It came together for me quickly and was a straight forward sew…and I love the br...

Made By A Fabricista: Stripes For Spring

Hi everyone!   It’s finally warming up here in southeastern Pennsylvania and I wanted to make a light, flowy dress for springtime. I snagged a vintage Laura Ashley pattern from Joanns on one of my last trips there. I somehow didn’t have anything in my pattern stash with a sweetheart neckline, so I thought it would be a good addition. The pattern calls for a giant gathered skirt, so I knew I would need something lightweight and drapey for it.  Something like a pink striped cotton fine seersucker. The fabric is light and has a really nice drape, almost like a challis . I knew it would gather beautifully. I  got to work cutting everything out, with help from my assistant. When I say the skirt is massive I mean it.  I ran into an issue right away where my fabric isn't wide enough to cut the back panel without opening the fabric out. And my three yards of fabric wasn’t enough to cut two back panels. I ran into this issue last year when making my pinafore dress . In ...