Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Linen Twirly Dress

Since I was paying for shipping anyway (and, it turns out, brokerage fees) I ordered a bunch of off cuts (they call them "doggie bags") from fabrics-store.com.  J. was there when I opened the box and requested these three all be used for dress for her (the colours are sphinx, ceramic and meadow).  Hmmm, colour blocking -- she's very on-trend.   


I was inspired by the Sunshine Dress tutorial from Skirt As A Top.  As that tutorial suggests, I used the Circle Skirt tutorial at MADE.  However, I didn't have enough fabric to cut a full skirt from the main fabric so I made a full circle pattern, drew the radiating lines, numbered them (very important!!!)  and cut the pattern instead.  I had no idea how to figure out where the grainlines should be (or if that even matters on a skirt like this) so I laid the pieces any old way on the fabric to make them fit.  I added 5/8" seam allowances to all the pieces so I could do French seams.



My girl is almost 7 so the itty bitty baby dress bodice suggested in the tutorial wouldn't work. Instead, I used the top from Butterick B4282, along with the tabs and covered buttons from the The Cottage Home tutorial for the Party Dress (which was a huge hit last year and is still being worn).



I was going to do the radiating lines on top as well (like the tutorial) but my hubby thought that might be over the top.  I think in this case he probably was right (although it looks fantastic in the original).  So instead of lining the bodice like I planned, I finished the edges with bias tape to add a bit more colour to the top.  


When I tried to attach the bodice, it ended up being about an inch and a half too big for the top of the skirt.  I took in each of the sides 3/4" but it still her fit well.  I should have stuck with the smaller size anyway and just added length -- this pattern is quite wide. 

She's very happy with it, especially since I bought her new breaded, sparkly sandals that have the same blues.

12 comments:

  1. Wow, that's gorgeous! Love it!

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  2. Oh this is so pretty! I love your version and the little loops and buttons on the back.

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    1. thanks! it's become the new favourite which I'm pleased about

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  3. This dress is fun and elegant at the same time. I really like the wide button loops and the lighter coloured buttons. It really creates a beautiful feature on the back.

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    1. thank-you! I love the buttons, too. J. has worn this lots and lots already. I'm always happy when the girls genuinely like something I've made.

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  4. WOW, so gorgeous!!!! I love it so much. So glad you were able to use my tutorial, this dress is amazing! Now I'm thinking I might need to make one for myself! :D

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    1. thanks for sharing your ideas, your blog is inspiring! I'm glad you like this version of your dress :)

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  5. I adore this dress - it is totally gorgeous - the style and and the colours. Off to look at that Butterick pattern....

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    1. Thanks! I'm sure you could use any basic bodice or draft your own. I just used the butterick pattern because I had it on hand.

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  6. Replies
    1. thanks! It was well loved in this house, too -- worn until it became a rag!!

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