To get out of a funk....sew up a new dress

      A couple of weeks ago I fell into a funk, and I really needed a distraction.  So, I tell my girlfriend, we need to go out and have some serious girl talk over bad food and wine. I  knew just the place.......downtown's  Asheville Pizza and Brewing.   To make it challenging, I decided to design and sew up a new dress in one week.  In addition, I had to use fabric from my stash...yeah, the husband has me on fabric lock down. (bummer). Of course, my friend would have to take photos of me wearing the dress so I could post them on this blog.............And that is exactly what I did.


      The fashion fabric: a cotton voile I purchased a year ago.  Once the fabric arrived,  I  couldn't envision myself wearing the bright floral print.  ( Like I told my Mom, I must have been really happy when I decided to buy it! ) Anyway, with the warm weather here finally, I decided to commit to sewing a dress using the bright floral and no matter how tacky I would look, I would wear it out....besides where we were going, I doubt anyone would recognize me.  HA!  Check out the dress: 

A little windy, trying to keep that dress down

     The design process:  I knew I wanted a simple easy to wear play dress, and I wanted to break up all the fabric floral pattern.   Also, I really needed to use a sloper, cause seriously I have no idea how to design a dress from scratch.  I ended up using Vogue's peplum bodice since I had already adjusted the bodice pattern, and altered the neckline.  I think a princess seam bodice would have been just as lovely. I decided to pleat the skirt to break up the floral print, and once I decided on the length......I just had to get to ironing and pleating. Oh, I did sew the inside of each pleat to help keep the pleats from coming unfolded. 

Again with the wind!

       Underlining and lining:  sewed up the bodice fashion fabric and followed suit for the bodice lining fabric. I used my standard pencil skirt pattern for the lining of the pleated skirt fashion fabric; which I basted together along the waist. I felt if I pleated the lining too........my hips would end up being 4 times the size they already are, and what woman wants that!  Also, I did a narrow hem for the skirt lining, and I did a bias tape, under stitch hem for the pleated skirt. Please note: I hemmed the skirt first before tackling the pleats.  I underlined the sleeve; which is to say, after cutting the floral fabric and lawn fabric I hand stitched /basted them together.  Once that was done, then I treated the two pieces of fabric like one piece of fabric.  

Lining and bias tape hem 

     Sewing process: Sewed using French Seams and bias tape for Hong Kong seams. Sewed Stay Tape along the neckline and zipper seam on both the fashion fabric and lining fabric.   Hemmed the skirt and then pleated. Sewed the lining of the skirt and attached at the waist.  Sewed the fashion fabric bodice to the skirt.  Attached a 20" invisible zipper.  Then I machine sewed the bodice lining to the fashion fabric bodice.  I used Christine Hayes method for the Emery Dress  What a great help!  Then I did a catch stitch at the waist attaching the bodice lining to the skirt. 


     

Drinking Sangria........it was really good!

    Thanks Dana for the great photos!