Tag: tunic pattern

It’s summer, and the sewing is easy!

Published on by ellegeemakes2 Comments
It’s a scorcher out there, my friends! And, there’s only one thing to wear at a time like this. A summer dress.  A person can’t have too many summer dresses, right? They’re so easy to throw on.
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Personally, when it’s hot, I live by the rule, less is more. I do not want heavy fabrics. I do not want my clothes to touch me. In fact, if naked was an option, I’d (probably?) go with that.  My less-is-more attitude extends to pattern choices as well. I want a pattern that has style without structure. (Yes, that’s asking a lot.) And if it’s ‘fast and easy’, that’s even better! Who wants to be inside, bent over a sewing machine, when it’s beautiful outside?
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This summer shift dress meets my very loose requirements. It’s a basic a-line with some soft tucks at the waist to give it a slight fit n’ flare shape. It’s made from a simple light-weight cotton, (purchased at Fabric Depot). I love this fabric because I can tell it will get softer with every wash. And it’s cotton. Sewing with cotton is always a breeze. I am such a fan…
For this dress, I used one of my ‘tried and true’ patterns, Butterick 5890, a top with tuck variations, sleeve variations and collar variations.
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I lengthened the tunic (view D), to make it a dress by adding 8″ to the length.
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Then, to add a bit of interest, I decided to try a v-neck version. This modification was made by drawing a straight line from the edge of the inside shoulder seam to the center front seam (view D has one, which makes this pretty straightforward). Then, I added a 5/8 seam allowance so that I could add a facing to that edge. Using my straight edge, I cut a matching front facing with seams allowances as well.
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For the sleeves, I used view A,  an option with armhole bands that are squared off. The arm bands are one of the reasons I love this pattern. They’re easy to sew, and they give the dress a bit of a vintage vibe.
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To be honest, this dress was so easy to sew, I almost feel guilty about not challenging myself. My excuse? It’s summer! Challenges are for when it’s dark and dreary outside, right? All told, this dress took only about 3 hours from start to finish. When Butterick says, Fast and Easy, they aren’t kidding. Gotta love that! I chose a print for this dress, but I think a solid would work too (maybe some yummy linen or silk).
Do you prefer ‘fast and easy’ patterns in the summer? Or does the sunshine elevate your mood, giving you the energy for a challenge?

Dress or tunic? That is the question!

Published on by ellegeemakes3 Comments

My latest sewing project is having a bit of an identity crisis. It’s a bit too short to be called a dress, but a bit too long to be called a top. In spite of this, I have to call it something to blog about it. So, I’m going to call it a dress. In fact, to be specific, it’s a Little White Dress (LWD), my second one, a trend in my sewing that’s bit surprising since white is definitely not my color.

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I blame this garment’s identity crises on the fact that it was made from unrelated pieces of linen, found in my large, unwieldy fabric stash.
I don’t know about you, but my stash’s girth issues are a direct consequence of my frequent visits to the irresistible remnant selection of my local fabric store. There are so many gorgeous pieces there, all priced to sell, usually at about 50% of  retail. How can one resist?
 But here’s the problem with that. The down side of these ‘economical’ purchases is that, inevitably, finding ways to use the remnants is a challenge. These pieces of gorgeous fabric may be cheap, but they’re often less than a yard. But as my mind registers this fact, my heart says, “It’s not too small!! Go ahead. Buy it. There’s enough fabric here to make…..something!!”
Remnants are such teases.
My latest LWD is made from those remnants; a half yard of graphic print linen and 3/4 yard of white linen. Alone, neither was enough to cover much of…anything! But together, they became a dress.
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 I used one of my favorite basic patterns, Vogue 8840, (see it also here, and here) a tunic top with dropped shoulders, a round neckline, and a front and back center seam. This pattern is a favorite because it’s so easy to modify. With its center back and front seams, it’s also easy to adjust to fit my narrow shoulders.
I used the pattern as designed with one modification. I added a long but narrow eyelash dart to both sides of the back. This was necessary to give the pattern a bit of taper at the waist, a must because this particular piece of white linen was a bit stiff.
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After cutting the main tunic from the white fabric, I cut a ten inch border from my print, making it the same width as the tunic and sewed it to the bottom of the tunic, converting it into a dress (?). Of course,  I could have made it a bit longer if I’d had a little more fabric, (and who’s fault is that?). I did the same thing to add a border to the sleeves, which gave them a bit more body and finish. I also top stitched both sides of the front and back center seams for interest.
I love this pattern. Because the sleeves are cut as part of the dress, it’s easy and fast to sew. The neck is finished with seam binding, also super fast and easy.
But, even though this pattern is simple, the project wasn’t boring at all. I enjoy simple patterns because they give you room to add something. This time, adding the border was the fun part of the project. Also, because the top is so basic, I had fun shaping it with my own well placed darts.
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Here’s my finished remnant creation! Even as I look at it now, I’m not sure what it is, though. A dress, a tunic…who knows? But that’s what happens when you do the remnant shuffle right? Maybe, it’ll be a long top until Summer, when the hot temperatures will make it the perfect dress. And yes, it’s wrinkled and always will be. But that’s okay! I give wrinkles a free pass when they’re on wonderful, beautiful linen!!
What about you? Do you find the remnant section enticing? What do you do with those lovely, but strangely sized pieces?

Shift dress: Then and Now

Published on by ellegeemakes3 Comments

I must be watching too many Mad Men reruns, because this week, I found myself crafting my very own shift dress!

And I’m not the first person to want this look. Audrey did.AHepburn21_V_18Nov11_rex_b_426x639

Twiggy did.Twiggy-201x300

Jean Shrimpton did too.JShrimpton3_V_23jan12_pa_b_426x639

Pretty good company, if I had to say. It’s a timeless shape and the look is easily modified with a belt, or a bit of bling. The look became popular in the sixties when Audrey Hepburn wore a black one designed by Givenchy in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

This week, I made my own shift dress out of a woven fabric, a chambray that looks like light-weight denim, purchased at Fabric Depot.

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I used Vogue 8840 as the base of my design, a pattern for a drop-shoulder tunic with sleeves. I lengthened the pattern, then embellished it with pockets with buttons, and cuffs on the sleeves.

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I self drafted the pockets by cutting seven-inch squares. I added flaps that by free cutting four triangles from the fabric, then faced them by sewing them together. I added the buttons after the fact because I thought the pockets looked boring without them.

The double top stitching came to me after shopping ready to wear. I tried on a similar dress and noticed how the stitching seemed to make the details stand out. Top stitching is mindless, but satisfying, don’t you think? And it’s a easy to do while you watch old movies, a huge plus as far as I’m concerned!

Shift dresses are so easy to wear. I also could belt this and wear it over leggings in the fall. DSC02457

After all, Audrey Hepburn belted hers! And who doesn’t want to be like her?

What about you? Do you like the shift dress look? Who do you think did it better? The girls in the sixties, or us?  Do you have a favorite shift dress pattern?