Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: Mom and Daughter Dresses



This month I really wanted to sew up matchy matchy Mother/Daughter dresses and my daughter has been asking for a dress with a high-low hemline.  This seemed like a great time to get to work since she really needs a few summer dresses.

It can be a challenge to find material that is suitable for my daughter as well as me so when I spotted this colorful ITY knit I knew it would be deemed acceptable by her and by me! It is sold out now, but you can find other ITY knits HERE. Normally I stay far away from polyester anything and everything during the summer but ITY is so thin that it works pretty well for most weather. 


For my daughter's dress I used McCalls 6827 and extended it.  After completion I wanted to hack off some of the back of the dress but my daughter likes it and calls it a "cape." 


For my dress I used McCalls 7348 and it is a TNT pattern for me.  I narrowed it a bit more around the skirt portion and made two slits at the sides.   I decided to line both dresses with some thin mystery knit that I received in a Fabric Mart bundle and it worked great.  Lining the ITY keeps every bump from showing and also solves any potential see through problems. 

I am pulling up the skirt so that you can get and idea of how long I made the lining. 


The mystery fabric was sheer and knit but perfect for this project.


I really love the way this bright dress turned out for summer.  I wore it to swimming lessons on the evening that these pictures were taken and I have to say that if a wet toddler sits on your ITY dress after swimming- when you stand up, it dries out in a flash.  I love that!

 

I stabilized the hems on the sleeves, the shoulders and the splits with Design Plus fusible stay tape that I won during the Fabricista challenge.  It worked great in all areas with the exception of the sleeve hems which it made a little too fixed.   




My photographer for these pictures was none other than my 7 year old!  I think she did pretty good!
And my 3 year old was along for the ride- and the popsicles. 


Thanks for reading!

Elizabeth

Comments

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

Help Our Buyers Shop!

  Comment on this post with what you are looking for right now and our buyers will seek it out!  I am craving wool gabardines and ponte knits in fun autumn colors. What about you?

Made By A Fabricista: Just Wear It Out!

Originally I wasn’t happy with my make this time around. I put it on fresh off the sewing machine and didn’t love how it fit. My elastic was slightly too narrow for what the pattern called for. I did end up putting a stitch to close up the v-neck on the top. I thought my sewing on the waistband looked sloppy and I looked kind of frumpy in the outfit. I was going to put the project down to fix later but decided to wear it out for some feedback from our web manager and one of the describers.  I ended up pleasantly surprised! The fabric is super comfortable and I felt really good wearing it. All the things I didn’t like kind of melted away wearing it out. The flaws were so small that only I noticed them. I think it’s important to remember that while striving for perfect seams and flawless construction is good, a handmade garment doesn’t have to be perfect to be wearable. This isn’t the first time I’ve softened on a garment after wearing, and it certainly won’t be the last! The 100% c...

Made By A Fabricista: The Sheer Volume Of It All!

This garment was inspired by a dress I saw in an ad, and when I went to purchase it (which I rarely do)…I realized that the dress didn’t come in my size. Ticked off and with $300 back in my pocket, I decided to draft it myself. The description listed the fabrication as a silk cotton voile, so I used that as a starting point to recreate the simple yet elegant silhouette.  My drafting experience is limited; I’ve only ever made garments that are pleated rectangles that fit into an elasticated waist. No darts, no complicated calculations, and definitely no sleeves. But I’d have that dress if it’s the last thing I do! I made a drawing, created a Pinterest board to document my inspiration, and narrowed down the features I really wanted to have: billowy bubble-hemmed bishop sleeves (say it three times fast!), a fitted and lined bodice, and a gathered tiered skirt. Finally, it was time to shop for fabric. I knew I wanted a silk blend of some kind, without breaking the bank. For weeks, I ke...