Made By A Fabricista: Two twill suiting sheath dresses (Vogue DKNY 1809)

Hello everyone! I usually gravitate towards fit and flare silhouettes when it comes to dresses, but this time I decided to fill a blank in my wardrobe and make myself sheath dresses!

I digged into the marvelous Milly collection again and selected two twill suitings for my August makes. When I saw them 'in person', I thought they would lend themselves well to that type of dress plus, as a bonus, I think those 2 sheath dresses will transition well into the cooler season ahead!

The pattern: Vogue DKNY 1809

I bought this Vogue Donna Karan pattern earlier this summer on Ebay and could not wait to try it; this is a sheath dress pattern with 3 options. I chose view C, size 10 - cannot be more classic than that!

This is a very well drafted pattern; you can find many beautiful versions of it on internet. The only modifications I made were to add 3 cms to the hem on view C as I could see it was shorter than views A and B which are already short themselves, and to pinch .5 cms at the inner point of the shoulder line and at CB seam, tapering to nothing, to solve a mini gap issue. I must have a small neck base or something 'cause I always experience some gaping in that area.

Dress #1: Made with lucky green/black/espresso floral cady suiting by Milly

I had originally selected this bold twill print by Milly to make something else, but when the fabric arrived the hand was different than what I had expected (much more supple and drapey) so I changed my plans accordingly.

That fabric is just gorgeous and it would be right for so many projects: dresses, blazers, skirts, dressy pants, etc. It is substantial and has a little stretch widthwise, and the wrong side is white and has a rubber like feel. If you are interested, there is still some left here: Milly floral suiting fabric

My goal was to break the bold print as little as possible, so a sheath dress like Vogue 1809 seemed to be ideal (not too many seams, and front and back darts for shaping).

Some tips to work with this fabric:

1- This poly/spandex twill presses beautifully, but don't put your iron too hot

2- A Microtex Schmetz sharp needle is a must to get through the texture of the fabric

3- Pin inside the seam allowances; otherwise you risk snagging on the right side

4- Better make a muslin first; unpicking a seam might leave permanent white holes that are visible even after ironing
5- This is a 'technical' fabric - scuba like if you will - , you don't have to finish the seams if you don't want to

That fabric was very enjoyable to sew, and this garment, although simple, feels like a designer dress because the print is so special. It hugs your curves while allowing freedom of movement, and a big plus is that it doesn't wrinkle! Just perfect for going to the restaurant, a cocktail or for a corporate type of even somewhere!

Dress #2: Made with red drapey twill suiting by Milly

I had originally selected this beautiful red drapey twill with nothing specific in mind; I'm like that, I like a fabric, and I order it knowing I will eventually chose something that will showcase its nature and qualities.

Since I had just made Vogue 1809 and it fit so right, I thought I would use that pattern again and make myself a red sheath dress.

The fabric sewed equally beautifully. This particular color is now sold out, but here are other options that would be great substitutes.

1- red twill suiting

2- vermillion red double faced twill suiting

3- bright burgundy twill suiting

Or why not browse the suiting pages, where you will find plenty of other colors?

I really enjoyed working with those twill fabrics, they were easy to sew, press, and they don't wrinkle. I know those 2 dresses will transition well into fall (just add some nice pantyhose and a nice jacket) and they really fill a gap in my wardrobe. I have no idea why I waited so long to make myself sheath dresses!

Thanks for reading, and see you for next post in September!

Virginie

from

Jazz Couture

Made By A Fabricista: A Tipsy Martini Transitional Three Piece Look

Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon with Sharon Sews with my latest Fabricista make – a three-piece set I can wear as the weather transitions to fall here in Texas. It may look like a summer outfit but there will days filled with sunshine and high temps well into November. At first glance it looks like a nice, lightweight jacket, top and pants. But look closer – it’s sewn from the designer Tipsy Martini cotton sateen that was originally used by the designer for a pajama set. Now I could have sewn myself a pair of pajamas using the Closet Core Carolyn Pajama pattern (available at Fabric Mart) and replicated the designer pajamas. But if I had gone that route the only ones who would have seen this adorable kitschy fabric would be my family. This print is much too cute to hide out at home. This Tipsy Martini cotton sateen fabric was lovely to sew. I used black thread, an 80/12 universal needle, and Palmer/Pletsch Perfect Fuse Medium interfacing (link here). Note that this is a rayon fu

Made By A Fabricista: Hooray for Cozy Fall Sews!

Greetings, all! I am in such high spirits with the best-of-all-seasons just beginning and change is finally in the air. I always rejoice when the sweatiest time of the year passes and we can all take a deep breath and gear up for cozier times. Neighborhood Patterns is a new-to-me designer, and I came across them on Instagram in late summer and fell in love with the Plain Jane Skirt. This is such a simple A-line skirt, but with nice details like large inseam pockets and an optional drawstring, and though I’m sure I could draft this style myself, the appeal of having it all done for me was too tempting to pass up. A sew such as this is a lovely palate-cleanser and this was the first project I sewed after returning from a cross-country trip. Perfect! The gorgeous plaid flannel is exactly what I want to be wearing in the fall. The fabric is SO soft and a pleasure to snuggle up in. Because flannel does not have much body and is prone to stretching or shifting with all its mechanical give,

Made By A Fabricista: Quilted Jacket Chronicle

What do you get when mixing the best things about apparel sewing and machine quilting? A quilted jacket! It's funny that I elected to sew myself a quilted jacket for this Fabricista blog because I don't consider myself much of a quilter. I can count on my hands the number of quilted projects I've made over the last few years. While I fully appreciate the end product of quilting, I don't normally gravitate toward starting quilting projects. That's why making a quilted jacket is a new and exciting project for me! It gives me the fun of making a quilt on a much smaller scale. If you are an avid apparel sewist and are new to quilting, this is the perfect project to take for a quilting test drive! For my quilted jacket, I used the Seamwork Easton Jacket pattern. I decided to stick with a solid-colored fabric for the jacket's exterior and ordered 4 yards of Dark Umber Brown Lycra Stretch Canvas Suiting from the Fabric Mart website. I wanted a contrasting color for the

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog