Skip to main content

Made By A Fabricista: Summer Dress Season is here!


I love attending outdoor Summer concerts! This month I wanted to make the perfect dress to wear to an outdoor Summer concert that is loose, flowy, comfortable and would be nice to wear in the south Georgia heat. I think I achieved it with the Marcel dress by Chalk and Notch in a Barbie Hot Pink Linen. 

The Marcel dress is a tiered dress that has shoulder straps which comes in sizes 0-30 and 2 cup sizes. I chose to make my dress according to my high bust size and it fits slightly loose but comfortable. I made my straps tie by lengthening the strap pieces. You can make a tank, a short dress or maxi dress. I lengthened my dress by 3 inches as I am 5’10” and this dress is drafted for 5’7”. I added 1 inch (total of 3 inches) to the bottom 3 tiers, and 3 inches to the center front and center back panels. The length is perfect.



The back of the dress has a very open back and should be really cool for the hot Summer weather! I can’t wait to wear it out soon! 


Chalk and Notch provides a QR code inside the pattern to a sew along if you need any help. The only thing I didn’t like about the pattern was that it didn’t have a layout plan for the fabric. I learned that is common with all Chalk and Notch patterns. I laid out the pieces prior to cutting to make sure I had enough fabric. I did not use interfacing as linen is stable and it wasn’t needed. 


I added a sewing label that says “the bee’s knee’s”. I specifically made this dress to wear to a Zach Bryan concert with my daughter in August. We plan to go eat at McCormick and Schmidt’s and drink a cocktail called the Bees Knees prior. If you haven’t tried one, it is a prohibition cocktail with lemon juice, honey and gin. It is delicious! The name means “the best”. This was a perfect label to add to this dress! Do you add labels to the inside of your hand made garments? My favorite are Kylie and the Machine labels and Fabric Mart keeps them in stock! I just purchased the ones that say “my best work yet”. 

I hope I have inspired you to make a Summer dress to wear outside doing what you love! I have wanted to try the Marcel dress and I really enjoyed sewing it. I want to make another one out of rayon and I just purchased another fabric from Fabric Mart to make another Marcel!


What dress will you make for the Summer? Please tag me at @Hoppaheedahoe on IG when you make it! I would love to be sewing besties and share our Summer sewing makes!

Happy Sewing,

Patricia  |  @Hoppaheedahoe


Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories: LINEN.

Comments

  1. What a pretty dress and a pretty color on you! Definitely looks cool, too - enjoy the concert!

    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: Back In The Saddle

If you don’t know in October my beloved Bernina sewing machine blew a fuse and started smoking while I was using it. She went to the shop for repairs, and then I moved. So it’s been a bit since I’ve sewed last and I’ve had trouble getting back into it. I knew I needed a simpler project to get me going again. Julie sewed up a Jarrah sweater recently ( restock coming soon! ) and gushed about how simple and rewarding a project it was. Then we got in this beautiful wool/cashmere sweater knit from England. I was seeing lighthouse keeper, sheep herder in the highlands. I knew it had to be my Jarrah sweater. I did lengthen the bodice by 3 inches. I actually sewed up a mock up with the curved hemline, but decided that wasn’t for me and went with the straight hem. Of course I took zero photos of said mock up.  Oops. Otherwise I sewed it up in a size 6 as is. Using the serger this really does sew up quickly. The dropped shoulder creates clean, simple lines that make it easy to sew u...

Made By A Fabricista: From My Imagination to My Closet

One of my favorite parts of sewing is taking an idea that exists only in my head and turning it into something I can actually wear. This project was exactly that—a quick, intuitive exercise in imagination, experimentation, and trusting my process, brought to life with Fabric Mart’s sweatshirt fleece. I started with a loose concept rather than a fixed plan. I knew I wanted something comfortable, but still fashion-forward—elevated loungewear that felt intentional rather than basic. Fabric choice was key, and Fabric Mart’s sweatshirt fleece ended up being the perfect foundation. Working with Fabric Mart Sweatshirt Fleece This fleece was an absolute dream to work with. It has a slight stretch, which made the final outfit incredibly comfortable while still maintaining structure. After pre-washing, the fabric held up beautifully with no pilling or texture issues, which is always a big win. It sewed smoothly and handled like a fabric that wants to be worn, not babied. Safe to say, I’m offici...

Made By A Fabricista: A Wooly Wearable Blanket.

Twirling in a me-made outfit! I live in a small town where the nearest fabric shop is a road trip away, so I almost exclusively shop for fabric online. Having access to an online shop like Fabric Mart with a solid search engine is incredibly helpful. But by far my favorite aspect of Fabric Mart is what I call the “Drape Picture” included in each listing! This picture gives me all the information I need and I find it more helpful than the exact weight per yard/square meter.  Seeing how the fabric falls close or away from the body gives me a clear idea of how it will behave and inspires me to make it into something that will highlight the fabric’s nature.  When I saw the drape of this “Baked Plum” wool suiting , I immediately wanted to immortalize those beautiful folds into a skirt! I opted for a simple self-drafted pleated skirt with a deep hem. I wear my dresses year-round and rely on wool skirts that I layer under or over my dresses for warmth. I cut two panels for the front ...