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: Falling for Knits

We are now well into Fall, even though the temps are still relatively warm here in Texas.  I love the fall season and dressing for Fall.   When it comes to the conversation of knits vs. wovens I typically sew mostly wovens. So for this post I decided to sew completely knits!  With the holiday season right around the corner I saw these three dress styles as perfect for Friendsgiving/Thanksgiving gatherings.  The first look is a tried and true pattern Simplicity S9372.  Using this gorgeous burgundy ponte knit , I like how this pattern fits throughout. I chose this color to add to my typically neutral palette in my closet.  I also wanted something I could wear to my sorority meetings and found this color perfect.  It's an easy sew with back fisheye darts  and invisible zipper to add to the tapered style.  The neckline and armholes are finished with bias binding giving it a clean finish on the inside.  I used a universal needle to sew a...

Made By A Fabricista: Closing 2025 with a Lined Jacket

Hello again, sewing friends! It seems we have arrived yet again in the grandest season for layering, all this oncoming cold weather. I like ending the year with something warm and very useful. Seems based on my past Fabricista posts, I love to sew year-end outerwear, and this round is no different!  I challenged myself with a new lined coat (wait, jacket? Coat? I feel like the presence of wool changes things?). Anyhoo, since the lovely Chalk & Notch Den Jacket has been in my queue, I proceeded ahead. I like the large pockets, the option to line or not, and the extra bodice and sleeve seams for topstitching.  Sewing this coat is not at all difficult, but the many pieces and loads of topstitching will take a bit of time. My version took me a few multiple-hour sessions to complete. I sewed a size 2, which matches my measurements, and I made no alterations. Hint: for a quick size test, just employ the lining pieces.  Gorgeous, muted blue as a soft wool flannel ? This is ...

Made By A Fabricista: Chalk and Notch Wren Dress: My Buffet dress for the Christmas season!

  I recently sewed the Chalk and Notch Wren dress using a beautifully soft black voile from Fabric Mart, and it turned into such a satisfying, enjoyable project. The pattern itself is very easy to understand and straightforward with clear instructions, intuitive construction, and a relaxed fit that makes the sewing process easy. A buffet dress in the sewing community is a dress that is loose fitting, so you can eat at the buffet without your dress being uncomfortable afterwards, lol! Because the voile I chose is extremely thin and transparent, I opted to line the bodice and first tier. Adding a lining not only provided modesty but also gave the delicate fabric a bit more stability, especially around the neckline and button placket. A helpful tip when sewing a lining into a lightweight bodice is to treat the lining and the main fabric as one. I sewed the bodice as you would for a lined bodice, and the first tier I sewed the pieces together with a basting stitch to make the process...