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 kept refreshing the “New Arrivals” tab every day until suddenly, this gorgeous bright orange silk linen organza appeared! I always gravitate toward unusual fabrications and weaves, and this one really hits the spot! In the Drape Photo (the last photo on every Fabric Mart listing, my favorite!) the fabric had an effortless drape on the cross grain and beautiful structure along the grainline; I was curious to see how it would behave on a massive billowy dress. I also knew that I’d have to keep this in mind as I cut the pieces, since the drape on one side and structure on the other essentially made this a directional fabric. The lining fabric I used is a satin-faced silk organza that I purchased from Fabric Mart years ago and had been using as interlining in other projects.
I made two toiles of the bodice, marked bust darts and played around with the armscye shape. The pattern pieces I wound up with looked like nothing I had seen before and that filled me with doubt. But I knew they worked on the toiles. So armed with nothing but curious audacity I cut through the pretty fabric and made the dress!
It isn’t a perfect dress by any means, but I am extremely happy with how it turned out and how it fits, and I am really happy about the mistakes I made along the way because it was really fun to problem-solve on the fly, and it was cool to use the tailoring and couture tricks I’ve collected while reading Claire Shaeffer books (shoutout to my local library and thrift stores!). During this project I also got a chance to flex my alterations muscles and surprised myself a few times when I realized that I was able to accurately identify what was wrong with a wonky seam or unwanted pucker.
The bodice is fully lined and the sleeves were sewn own using the burrito method and French seams, so no exposed seams anywhere which makes this such a comfortable dress! The satin-faced organza lining is cool to the touch and super soft, it provides some modesty on the bodice and some added support for the sleeves. The linen silk organza weighs next to nothing and glides around the body as if enchanted. You would never know that nearly 6 yards of fabric went into this dress!
Things I am happy I did:
-Aggressively staystitching everything.
-Understitching the neckline and sleeve cuffs.
-French seams everywhere for a comfortable experience.
Things I wish I had done differently:
- Notches! I wish I had remembered to mark notches on my pattern pieces!
- Using a more contrasting lining fabric like a deep purple or red. The oranges I used are slightly different and clash if you look closely enough (so please don’t!)
- Making a second toile of the sleeves to make sure that the lining wouldn’t be visible from the outside (I should have made the lining 2 inches shorter instead of one inch)
- Remembering to make the bodice lining 1/8” narrower than the main bodice, so the lining doesn’t poke out (understitching helped but it was a battle)
This was a big and bold project; I don’t know what I was thinking taking this on such a short self-imposed deadline (during school vacation week with little kids at home, no less!) but I am SO HAPPY I tossed my usual caution to the wind and did it anyway! My sewing confidence grew a lot during this project, in ways I hadn’t expected.
This is what beautiful fabric does, I think: it fires up your creative curiosity and inspires you to try new things, to make that first scary cut through that precious fabric because the vision in your mind simply must come to life!
JOANNA | @hotpurlsummer
Absolutely gorgeous make that clearly gave you much more than a beautiful dress you would have bought off the rack! Bravo!
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