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: New to Linen Pants

For as long as I can remember, I have worn jeans almost daily, in and out of the office. But recently, the Miami HEAT – the real summer hot burning sweaty heat, not the basketball team – has me considering other options. Now that I have tried light, breezy, and wide linen pants, I cannot go back to skinny jeans. I must add that I love dresses, but I work in a freezing office and need my long trousers and closed shoes. So, I basically dress every day for two opposed climates: the scorching desert outdoors and the North Pole indoors. This pattern, the Emerson Pants by True Bias , checks all the boxes. In the realm of woven pants, there is nothing more comfortable than wide legs and elasticized waistbands. These pants have that, but also feature a flat front waistband and pleats that turn it into a casual yet elegant outfit. The pattern was originally made for shorts or cropped pants, but I opted to add 5 inches to the bottom and make them long. It is more my style, and it reminds me of t

Made By A Fabricista: The Importance of Dupes

Hi everyone! I am back with my last summer blog of 2024. One of my favorite things about sewing is the ability to create higher end pieces for a fraction of the cost. I find that we are now in a place where we are creating more of these duplicate pieces. When making these “dupe” pieces that I find on Pinterest, I change some factor in them, so they will not be an exact replica but close to. When I saw this jumpsuit I immediately fell in love with it & I knew I had to recreate it.  Fabric Mart had the most beautiful red linen fabric & I just knew it was the perfect time to create it. I have such a love for linen! It is extremely easy to work with; it sews really well & I love natural fiber clothing. The hardest part about working with linen is the wrinkles. Linen is so easy to wrinkle & I find that even when it is pressed a lot it will still wrinkle of the course of time. I put a little bit of starch on it to keep it from creasing as easy. I had to search high & low

Made By A Fabricista: Maxi Skirt Resurgence

Maxi Skirts are everywhere this year! The last time maxi skirts were this popular was in the early 2000s so it's not a wonder that after an almost 20-year rest, maxi skirts of all shapes, styles, and fabrics have become popular again. What I appreciate about a maxi skirt is that it isn't just for dressy occasions. When paired with canvas sneakers and a classic t-shirt, a maxi skirt is just as casual as wearing jeans.  My appreciation of maxi-length skirts has grown since becoming the mom of a little boy. With shorter skirts, I can't crawl around on the floor during playtime or pick things up off the floor without worrying about accidentally showing my undergarments. I often end up wearing a pair of shorts underneath my skirts and dresses for peace of mind. But a maxi skirt is a stand-alone garment with no need for anything extra making it perfect for a hot summer day. With these benefits in mind, I knew it was time to add a new maxi skirt outfit to my wardrobe.  The True Bi