Kind of a dress walkthrough rather than a full tutorial today. I made a really basic maxi dress with some of the fabric I bought from Brunswick and thought you guys might like to see the process!
This fabric is so pretty. I love that it looks like rainbow paint spots! It reminds me of watercolours.  To begin with I cut two rectangles for the skirt and a smaller rectangle for the bodice. Helper dog kept all of my fabric straight for me.  I cut the back part of the skirt in half so I could eventually install a zip there and overlocked all of the seams. I stitched the 3 skirt pieces together into a long rectangle with the back seams free to put the zip into later.   I then gathered the top of the skirt section into a ruffle using the function on my sewing machine.   Skirt ruffle!  Huzzah, basic skirt!   Next I made the top. It was a very large rectangle folded in half and overlocked around the sides so it could be turned inside out.  The skirt was lined up with the bottom of the bodice and sewn on.   Getting there but the bodice section needs to be gathered to make it fit correctly.  I ruffled the back of the bodice where the zip would eventually go and secured it with several lines of stitching.  Then I gathered a line on each side of the bodice and one in the very middle. This allowed it to become more form fitting and interesting. I also installed the zip into the back at this point and added a bottom hem to the skirt.  Lastly I sewed a couple of rectangles into tubes and made straps out of them. Considering I always wear cardigans with dresses like this the top really wasn’t a huge concern as long as it was reasonably fitted.  All done!  Floaty and fun!  This dress is so comfortable and nice to wear, the fabric is silky and beautiful. Next time I go I hope they have some more so I can make a shorter bias cut flippy dress out of it too!  Hope you enjoyed the “sew-through” an I’ll see you guys next time! What have you all been sewing lately? I need some inspiration! |
