Tag Archives: stash

I made this dress for my birthday this year, and it was perfect for my bayou birthday party.

The dress had to be lined, and since the seams would have been slightly visible through the white areas of the print, I felt like interlining was the only option. Well, sewing two layers of swishy fabric together while keeping the print centered and the grainlines even can be a pain in the ass. In the end it turned out well, but it was a process to get there.

It’s a very basic shift (or sheath) dress. Easy to make, versatile to wear, and simple design lines that allow the fabric to take center stage. I have a few fabulous fabrics that have been patiently waiting in my sewing cabinet, and I think this new pattern will match perfectly.

I bought the yellow printed rayon as soon as it came in the door at Fabric Planet Downtown for $3/yd. The dress is lined with a blush pink rayon, which also came via Fabric Planet (from the Venice store, and was the same price). The invisible zipper and TIffany blue lycra I used for the binding were rummaged from my fabric cabinet. Total dress cost: $12

I just love the bright lemon yellow! The crisp chevrons are actually composed of tiny triangles. This print is hitting all my buttons.

I didn’t really think about how prone to wrinkles the finished garment would be. Not that I generally look freshly pressed, but I do like to show off my clothes to their best advantage. I must admit, I’m a little disappointed that despite the care I put into constructing the dress, it will always look a little sloppy.

Although I’ve only worn the dress once before, the fabric is starting to pill at the underarms. It’s certainly not a disaster, just another disappointment to overcome. This dress may not have the longevity that I was looking forward to as I began to put it together.

I drafted the basic shift pattern with a muslin (and 2 sleeves with different cap heights!), and the meticulous fitting on the muslin isn’t quite obvious in the shifty doubled rayon. Oh well, I think that attention will pay off in other iterations of the design.