Flutter Sleeve Knit Dress

I had this dress in my head for a long time and whipped it up in a flash last week. I used the bodice from Sew-U Home Stretch that I altered to fit me earlier this year for this dress.  I drafted the  flutter sleeves using Dixie Diy's tutorial over on Sew Caroline's blog.


I have always been averse to gathered waist skirts and dresses, but recently realized that if the gathering is minimal and the waist is fitted it can be flattering. The skirt is just a rectangle, measurements taken from a recent successful project with a gathered waist. I gathered the skirt, then serged it to the bodice, I also added elastic to the waist so that it would be a little more fitted. The gathered ruffle is just double the width of the skirt, gathered and sewn on. I'm not usually a ruffle person either but I think it adds a cute bohemian vibe and I like the way the skirt swishes when I walk.



I also used Dixie Diy's tutorial for binding the V-neck, thanks for being awesome Dixie! Mine isn't perfect, but the best one I've ever done. I should have listened to Dixie and zig zagged on my first try but I got brave and used the serger.

 

 The fabric is from Girl Charlee and is one of my favorites that I have purchased from there.  I had originally intended to make this a Maxi dress, and Frank was opposed.  I asked my facebook friends if most men dislike long skirts and I never realized they were so controversial.  No matter, when I held the long skirt up to me I realized it was much more flattering knee length on me.
 
Here is a detail of the V-Neck binding. You can see it got a little bunched up at the bottom, but overall I'm happy with it.
 

Fort Worth friends might recognize this wall as the side of Melt, our new Farm to Cone gourmet Ice Cream shop.  I talked Frank into taking pictures of my by bribing him with ice cream.  It is a rare treat for us these days, but isn't this a great backdrop for my dress?!

Simplicity 2443 aka A Perfect Summer Dress

Wow, it has been a while since I posted. I have been sewing a lot, I just hate taking pictures, so most of my finished projects don't make it to the blog. I just counted and I have sewn 19 items of clothing this year, only 6 have made an appearance here. I hope to change that soon, as I really do love sharing what I make. I do use Instagram daily, but use it mostly for pictures of my garden, our pets and our healthy meals. We did the Whole 30 challenge early in the year and it really did change our eating habits. Frank and I have both lost weight and are feeling healthy. I make it to the gym 2-3 times per week, but would love to be more consistent. Anyways, enough catching up, I have a dress to show you.

I've had this pattern for years, I believe it is out of print now. Simplicity 2443 designed by Cynthia Rowley. I have had the fabric to make this for at least a year. I finally cut it out and it came together really quickly.


I left out the zipper and interfacing. I took the shoulders up by about 1" and took it in at the side seams by about 3" at the waist, tapering out to nothing under the arms. Those are typical adjustments for me. I should have shortened the back bodice, which is another typical adjustment. It dips down in the back but it doesn't bother me enough to redo it.

The curves on the bodice are a little finicky to sew. I used a zig zag stich there and went slowly. It is not perfect, but passable. I would make this dress again. I think it is a fun way to mix patterns, but would also look good in a solid. It is a perfect Summer dress! I didn't hem it because I thought it was going to be too short once I turned it up, but I may go back and do that because it seems longer than I thought in these pictures.

Frank took these for me at the Modern Art Museum the other day, by the way. I have to give him photo credit. One reason I hate taking pictures is that we don't have a good camera and just use the iphone. I need to invest in a camera.