Skip to main content

Made By A Fabricista: Vibrant Red and Florals for Summer

When I think of summer I think of sunshine, outdoor activities, and cute summer dresses.

Like this one.

Do you love florals for summer as much as I do?  When I saw this floral cotton sateen shirting, I immediately pictured it as a beautiful summer shirtdress.

However, as you can see, the dress I’m wearing is not a shirtdress.

We all know our fabric speaks to us, right?  As soon as I opened the package and saw the beauty of this fabric, well, my original plan was tossed out the window. 

This fabric wanted to be a ruffle hem dress.

I choose to sew New Look 6692.  In my opinion, this dress pattern is one of those designs that can be worn by anyone.  The square neckline is flattering, the puff sleeve is subdued, the gathers aren’t too full, and there are pockets!

When I looked at the cover photo of this pattern, I figured it would be a fairly quick sew. After all, it’s just a dress with a princess seam bodice, puffed sleeve, and a gathered skirt with ruffle.  I was wrong.

If I had looked at the line drawing, I would have discovered the back has multiple rows of elastic.

While that part was not difficult to sew, it was time consuming. I choose to sew casings and insert ¼” elastic, per the pattern instructions.  If you wish, you could certainly use elastic thread in the bobbin of your machine and shir that back section.


I did make a few alterations to the pattern.  I did a 2-1/2” full bust adjustment and added 1-1/2” to the elasticized center back section as I wanted to make sure my bra would not show.

The dress does have an invisible zipper in the left side seam. I found I can get this dress on and off without the zipper, but it’s definitely easier if I use the zipper.


The dress ends mid-calf on the model on the pattern cover.  Well, on me, it is a maxi dress. Which is great, because I planned on adding an additional ruffle to make this a maxi dress. 


I did find I had trouble tying the back tie by myself. First it was too tight. Then it was too loose. Then it was just right! Ah, success! But I looked in the mirrors and the bow looked terrible.  Oh well, I guess I’ll need help with that back tie when I wear this.

Because I didn’t need to add an additional ruffle, I had fabric leftover and sewed myself a pair of wide leg cropped pants.

The pattern is from the April 2016 issue of BurdaStyle magazine, number 106. The pants have a lined yoke, pleats, a side seam invisible zipper, and front pockets!

I like how versatile this fabric was – it was a wonderful choice for my ruffled summer dress, but also a great choice for my cropped pants.

I will be wearing both pieces quite often this summer.


Until next time, Happy Sewing!

SHARON  @thesharonsews


Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories COTTON, SATEEN, & SHIRTING.

Comments

  1. Love your new red dress. So pretty on you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very Becoming, Nice Job!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's a beautiful make! Fabric and fithing ! You look great in it !


    ReplyDelete
  4. Love the custom outfits, and the cropped pants look really good on you!

    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...