Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: Layers and Frills

Little girls love to twirl when they wear dresses with frills, and it doesn’t change much once we get older either. I chose this beautiful Cobalt Blue/Black/Alabaster Polyester/Lycra Stretch Twill Blouse Weight fabric (#SZC3940d) that was perfect for my DIY dress with frills. For this project you can use any bodice you like and then follow this easy DIY design to make the layered bottom potion or even turn it into a skirt if you like. I used 4 yards of this fabric to create this dress.

You will need lining fabric for this project, so luckily I found some blue fabric in my stash. The illustration shows that you can use your measurements right on the fabric to create the under lining to attached the frills to. You want to measure your waist divided by 4, measure down to your hips and use that measurement divided by 4, and then down to the length of your skirt (my lining piece is 24 inches long) and measure out 3 additional inches from the width of your hips to create an A-Line skirt for the bottom portion. Don’t forget to add ½ inch for seam allowance. You can also use the front to create your back with an additional ½ inch for the center back where you will have the first 6 inches of the back open for the insertion of the zipper. Once you have you front and back pieces, sew then together at side seams. Measure each lining piece at 8 inches, number each pieces from top to bottom to easily keep track of which is first, and then cut. The length of your lining piece should allow you to measure in 8 inch increments. Once you complete these steps your cut pieces should look like the piece in the top right corner of the illustration.

(1) The length of your frills from your main fabric should be 9 ½ inches and the width is the length of the bottom portion of each lining piece multiplied by 3. (2) Serge the bottom portion of the frill. (3) Baste the top portion of your frill and gather evenly, then pin to the bottom of the lining piece with right side together. Sew together at your ½ inch seam. (4) When done this is what it should look like and don’t forget to hem ½ inch.

(1) Sew the top portion of lining piece #2 to the same area (bottom portion of lining #1) to connect underneath. (2) And now you should have 2 lining pieces and 1 frill attached ready for your second frill to be sewn on to complete your first 2 layers. 

Continue to your desired number of layers. I used 3 lining pieces and 3 frills to attach to each bottom piece of the lining. To make the forth frill at the top, I then measured the very top pieces and cut another frill with that measurement multiplied by 3, then attached with wrong side of the frill to right side of the lining. After the skirt portion was complete, then I attached to bodice.

This fabric was very easy to sew up and the drape of it made it perfect for the frills and how easy the fabric allows the dress to flow and move while wearing it. It has a slight stretch to it making the fit of the bodice turn out great but not to stretchy for creating the layers. 

I absolutely love the diagonal floral framework of the print which made this fabric so beautiful and unique. And what’s not to love about these colors. Normally with this dress it would probably be best to use a solid color fabric because of how the length of the frills need to be cut. But I was able to cut the bodice with the grain of the fabric and because of the length of each frill needed, I had to cut each frill the width of the fabric but with this unique print it went perfect no matter which way I chose to cut it. Now that’s a seamstress dream for cutting fabric. 


I actually used the bodice from the McCall’s 7714 pattern (view D) and lined the bodice with the same fabric I used for the skirt lining. After attaching the bodice to the skirt portion I inserted my invisible zipper. I decided to create a different sleeve by using the same method of making a circle skirt to make my circle sleeves. I made 4 pieces so that the sleeve would be lined as well. 

Not only was this dress so much fun to make, Can you tell how much fun it was for me to wear it?

Until next time,

ANGIE  | @angiedenise_boutique 

www.angiedenise.com 


Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following category, SHIRTING & BLOUSE WEIGHTS.

Comments

  1. This is such a lovely creation and looks fantastic on you. Thank you for the details about how you created it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That dress is fantastic. You look fabulous in it. So inspiring! I don’t wear dresses, lol, so I will let y’all have at it, just had to tell you, great dress, fabric choices and styling, etc., etc! Thank you for the detailed tutorial too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. I really appreciate that

      Delete
  3. The style and print seem a perfect match and you modelled it so well. As soon as I decide on a top, I'm making one.

    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: Cozy two piece lounge set with cotton jersey from Fabric Mart.

There is something incredibly nostalgic about old school gym wear.  I love the relaxed fits and timeless appeal.   It takes me back to my high school gymnasium days.   When I stumbled upon this beautiful heather grey cotton jersey knit from Fabric Mart Fabrics, I knew exactly what I wanted to create:  a two piece lounge set that would be easy to wear and perfect for the cooler Florida weather we have been having. The Fabric The heather grey cotton lycra jersey knit was perfect.   It’s soft, lightweight, and has just the right amount of stretch.  The subtle marled texture of the fabric added depth and character, making it an ideal choice for recreating a vintage gym look.  The fabric is comfortable and warm enough for our recent cooler temps.   It washed and dried beautifully.  It’s breathable and easy to work with, a dream for any sewing project.  The Pattern I chose McCall’s 4261 Spa Essentials from 2003.  ...

Made By A Fabricista: Playing with Classic Silhouettes and Timeless Color Palettes

When it comes to sewing, few things excite me more than reimagining classic designs and breathing new life into timeless patterns. As someone who has been sewing for over 25 years, I thrive on exploring unique details and construction techniques that make each piece feel special. Recently, I found inspiration in a previous look I’d created and decided to take it a step further, crafting a full outfit that plays with volume, texture, and classic styling. See below my dress from 2011 that I drew inspiration from. The Fabric For this project, I chose a Glen Plaid Suiting fabric from Fabric Mart, a timeless yet versatile pattern that instantly elevates any garment. The fabric’s classic black-and-white palette gave me the perfect base to experiment with silhouettes and pairings while keeping the overall look chic and cohesive. I love how this fabric’s pattern gives off an air of sophistication yet lends itself beautifully to bold, modern designs. The Dress For the dress, I used the VikiSew...

Made By A Fabricista: Ghostly School Uniform

When Fabric Mart asked me what fabric I wanted for my first project I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to make, Nene Yashiro from Toilet Bound Hanako kun (a weird but cute anime) but as cute as the design was, I knew I'd need to adjust the colors to a slightly warmer tones to better suit my complexion and undertones. For the main dress I was so happy to find an off white cotton/Lycra stretch twill that was opaque enough to not need a lining and stretched enough that I could continue avoiding my nemesis; zippers. I wanted to try out having a seamless center front panel, so I modified one of my existing go-to bodice patterns, and after figuring out what length I wanted for the skirt, was able to have the center front panel incorporated into the center front panel of the skirt. I then had the rest of the bodice as their normal waist length so that I could add an additional panel to the skirt to be able to have enough width to have volume and gather it down evenly around my waist. The hem h...