Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: Lace and Flowers for a Wedding


Have you tried out any of the Milly designer fabrics yet?  I had not heard of Milly, but really liked the colors in this print and thought it would be perfect for a wedding that I am attending in Germany.  The wedding will be in a very old church, and the bride chose blue as the wedding color scheme, so I wanted something with blue in it.   When I received the fabric, I actually gasped- it is probably the prettiest fabric I've ever worked with!

The type of fabric was unfamiliar to me- it was very heavy and fully interfaced on the back.  I quickly googled Milly's creations, and found this...






$925!!!  Wow, I knew it was nice fabric!  You'll see that they call it Cady fabric, so I had to look that up too.  According the Threads magazine: "The most useful understanding of cady for a home sewer is that it's a woven fabric that has the look and hand of two-, three-, or four-ply silk crepe with a bit of stretch. It can be made from fibers such as silk, cotton, rayon, wool, polyester, and acetate-often combined with some spandex."  Mine doesn't have any stretch whatsoever though.


I tried to find a sleeveless dress pattern similar to the designer original, and I came across a Cynthia Rowley pattern from a few years back- 1104.  This is a neat design because even though it might look like multiple pieces, the front and back are just one piece each, and they are shaped with pleats and darts.  This was important because I really didn't want to break up the print any more than possible.


 This is not my normal style- I would normally wear a straight dress like a sheath, but I wanted to use every inch of this fabric, and I had 2-1/2 yards!


I  did a full bust adjustment, and added some length- not much, I can't remember how much I added, but the pattern itself was pretty long.  I also added side seam pockets.  I think that this pattern is very nice for alterations- you can make the darts or pleats a little larger or smaller, and tweak your fit without too much trouble.




Since you never know what the weather is going to be like, I also ordered a Milly lace to make a shrug.  I think that the shrug really adds a lot to the outfit.    Because the weave so open, I knew that I needed a style with few seams.  I found McCalls 6461 which just has a shoulder seam and an underarm seam.

I used my coverstitch to finish the edges, as it would provide just another row of stitching to hold the open weave in place.  I also added a piece of twill tape to the back neckline, so that it wouldn't stretch out of shape.


Unfortunately, the fabrics that I used are sold out, but you can find a whole lot more Milly fabrics here. 


Here's a close up of the fabrics and the accessories.  The blue chiffon clutch was my late Mom's- probably from the 50's.  And the shoes were an Italian designer shoe that I found at a consignment shop for $3!   I think that the shrug "bookends" the shoes to pull everything together.


I haven't made a fancy special occasion dress for a long time, so this was a really fun project for me.  Have you tried any of the Milly fabrics yet?  What did you think?  I just ordered 3 more, so you can say I'm smitten.

Happy Sewing!
Ann 

Comments

  1. So pretty! That fabric is gorgeous and I love the lace shrug paired with it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ann this is just gorgeous! I noticed it on Pattern Review, just beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So pretty and professional! Professional as in, the complete outfit looks like you found it in a high end boutique. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Really lovely outfit! I love a special occasion as motivation to make a dressy outfit and use really wonderful fabrics like the Milly floral print.

    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: 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 | Chasing Time: My White Rabbit-Inspired Look for Atlanta Frocktails

For this year’s Atlanta Frocktails, I found myself captivated by a character who’s been quietly tugging at my imagination for years—the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. There’s something so relatable about his frantic energy, always checking the time, always running late. While he’s worried about being on time, I’m usually calculating how late I can be and still technically arrive on time. Spoiler: I’m often wrong. It’s a cycle of procrastination and anxiety that I know all too well. So when I imagined my look for Frocktails, I thought—why not honor the White Rabbit? After all, time has been chasing me too. But this look isn’t just about Wonderland whimsy. It’s also deeply inspired by this year’s Met Gala theme, Tailored for You, which includes a focus on Black Dandyism—a celebration of Black elegance, intellect, and expressive style. I’ve been obsessed with this theme since it was announced. As a Black creative, I find it powerful and moving to see style used as a way to reclaim...

Made By A Fabricista: Getting into the Spirit of Summer

I'm not gonna lie y'all, I had a completely different project I wanted to do, but that's gonna take more time, and I wanted something cute, comfy and fun to wear for my birthday on the 19th. When I saw this goldenrod & off white linen jacquard , I thought it looked a bit like the design on a Koroks body, especially Makar from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker! I started with the bodice from the free Elderberry dress pattern from Mood, but deviated for the skirt, it felt a little plain of a design, and I had scraps of a Korok fabric that I knew would be a nice accent with some cut out pockets. I've made these pockets once before, deciding the cut out was based on aligning with the seam on the bodice for how far in, and as for how low depended on where I wanted the pouch of the pocket to start. From there I cut the visible part of the pocket, making sure to match the curve of the waist and following the line of the side seams of the skirt, as well as cutting a facing to...