The Dress that took Two Summers to Make

{My design: hand illustrated}

Hello there!  Since it is nearly the end of August, and soon my head will be filled with all sorts of autumnal dreaming, I thought I should actually post this sewing project before summer is technically gone (I say technically, because were I live summer may insist on staying til October, not matter how unwelcome it is).

As the title suggests, this dress took a while to make.  I started on it about three summers ago, had quite a few hiccups with the design, and pretty soon it was autumn and I had no motivation to finish it until the next summer.  The dress is based on this Vintage Vogue pattern, with several alterations.

Firstly, I didn't like the angular shape of the bottom of the bodice, so I simply made that into a slightly curved seam (as my drawing shows).  Secondly, I wanted more volume in the skirt, so I entirely ignored those pattern pieces, and just used a rectangle to make a pleated dirndl skirt.

However, once I cut everything out and began sewing, I had to make a few more alterations (since I didn't bother to make a mock up-- which is a test fit made of muslin). I found that the midriff panels did not shape to my body, so I had to add darts to the front. Once I sewed the gathers for the bust, I hand tacked them down, otherwise there was just too much volume. So after several hours, and many Netflix shows later, I had the bodice finished. At this point, I decided I did not want to mess with making buttonholes, so I altered the back pieces to accommodate an invisible zipper.
The last adjustments I made, were adding bust cups to the lining, and little bows to the straps. Then, all the seams were bound up with a Hong Kong finish.  

The dress is made of a vibrant 100% cotton chintz, which is a bit more colorful than what I usually wear, but I think it's perfect for a fun summer dress that makes me smile every time I see it. For that it has become a staple for this time of year, and has traveled with me on several summer adventures.

O u t f i t     D e t a i l s
Hat - Target
Belt- Forever 21
Shoes - Kohls (Croft & Barrow)
Dress - Made by me
Bolero - Bealls