Falling for Chiffon Again

Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Tira from Tira Cooks, and I finally made the perfect sundress too bad summer is almost over! This is my last sewing project of the summer season, and I chose a beautiful red-and-white print. The result is a lightweight, flowy dress that can easily transition from summer into fall and even winter with the right layers.

This fabric was actually my second choice. I originally told myself, “You need a break from chiffon!” But here I am, sewing chiffon again and this time, I discovered a chiffon blend with cotton. Can you believe it? I had never worked with this combination before, and it made me fall in love with chiffon all over again. The crisp hems and sewing overall were surprisingly easy. The only reminder that I was working with chiffon fabric was all the fraying! Even better, this fabric is practically wrinkle resistant. I twisted, tied, and scrunched it, and it still came out looking beautiful with zero wrinkles.

Because this was a border print, planning my layout before cutting was extremely important. I mapped out the pattern pieces first to make sure the print continued beautifully throughout the dress without breaking up the design. As always with chiffon  I used a 70/10 needle on my Juki DDL, along with my Juki overlock machine to finish the raw edges and help control fraying. I also tried Fabric Mart’s woven stay tape for the first time, and I loved it! I used it along the waistband, bodice facing, and hem. It added just the right amount of structure without taking away from the softness of the fabric.

The original pattern was designed as a floor length evening dress, but I wanted something lighter and more appropriate for summer. I altered the upper bodice to work with the lower bodice, which only required one major adjustment. One thing I cannot stand about dresses is tiny straps that offer little support and dig into your shoulders. I intentionally made these straps wider for comfort and support. I also used Fabric Mart’s interfacing for the first time. It was incredibly soft and almost felt like a T-shirt!

Maintaining the integrity of the border print was one of the most important parts of this project. After positioning the bodice, I determined where the skirt would fall and cut out five large panels, joining and gathering them together. For reference, my measurements for this project were 38–33–43.

TIP: When gathering, always work in sections. Start and stop at the seam lines rather than gathering everything on one continuous thread. If your thread breaks, you’ll only have one small section to repair instead of having to redo the entire skirt.

This summer, I worked almost exclusively with cotton and chiffon two of my favorite fabrics. They are perfect for layering on cool summer days and transitioning beautifully into fall and winter. I absolutely love this dress! I was blasting music and dancing around my living room just to test the twirl factor and it definitely passed the test! I also loved making something this flowy because I normally create pieces with lots of structure and very little room to breathe. This dress was a refreshing change. Thank you, Fabric Mart, for helping me find the perfect summer dress just in time!

Until next time,

Happy Sewing!

Tira | @tiracooks