Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: Seersucker Take Two


Back in July of 2016 I attempted to sew Vogue 8968 out of a blue and white seersucker, but I sewed it a size to small (read that post here). I was pretty bummed because I really liked the dress, aside from the fit, so when I saw this sapphire and white poly cotton seersucker I decided to try again!





Vogue 8968 is a pretty simple loose fitting handkerchief hem dress pattern. It includes two views, but if you look closely you'll notice that the envelope illustrations don't match the flat drawings. So I'll just say you have the option of colorblocking, adding sleeve bands and adding a split neck. I chose to sew the standard neck and add the sleeve bands. With just a few pattern pieces to deal with (front and back, facings, hem bands and optional sleeve bands) the whole dress comes together quickly. I sewed it in one evening!


Instead of colorblocking I chose to play with the grain of the fabric. The main body was cut on the grain while the sleeve bands and hem bands were cut on the crosswise grain. This adds some interest as the dress has horizontal stripes and the bands have vertical stripes.


I do wish this fabric had more drape so the overall look would be more fluid, but the stiffness gives the dress more of an architectural look which I like as well. Currently Fabric Mart has this sapphire and white poly cotton seersucker here and a vertical peach and white cotton seersucker (here) in stock. Grab some if you want to knock out one more summer project this year! I'd also recommend a challis which would have a softer look, see what is is stock here.



I'm having a hard time thinking about saying goodbye to summer. Thankfully I live in the south (US) so I'll have enough time to wear this a few times before I put it away until next year. I think I can eek out one more summer-ish look for September before I move on to my fall sewing.

Tiffany


Comments

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 ...