Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Sewing: Maxi Wrap Garden Party Dress


I saw this fabric at Jo-Ann in their red tag section last summer and fell for it immediately! I love the saturated colors and the trendy green. It's a silky fabric of unknown content and manufacture, but it feels great and hangs nicely. I was excited about sewing something for myself with it, but as you know, sewing for myself is a rarity.


Luckily this year's SNAP! Conference (#snapconf) had a "Garden Party" on the agenda, and hosted by Jo-Ann! It begged for a new dress in this garden party floral. What could be more perfect?


I wanted to use every inch of this fabric and so I combed through my pattern stash to find the perfect one. I landed on one I've sewn before: Butterick 5320, by Suzy Chin.


I sewed this pattern in grey linen for a wedding I attended a few year's ago and liked the way it fit, though would have preferred a fabric with more drape. This green floral is it! Just as I did before, I changed the cap sleeves to set in sleeves, and added more length. This time I added 20"! I wanted a dress that brushed the tops of my feet.


Friends, this dress is so much fun to wear! 



It flows, it drapes, it swishes.... I lined it with a silky purple knit fabric I found in another clearance section. It's fun to have the purple peeking out and the fabric feels great too.


And wouldn't you know it, it's a great thing to share for Me Made May! I've loved seeing what others have sewn, are sewing, and are wearing this month (#MMMay15 and #MeMadeMay15) and I'm inspired to sew for myself more this month and wear more of what I've sewn. You can follow along on my Instagram feed. Maybe I'll even share a few more things here. Hooray for May!

10 comments:

Emily said...

Just lovely on you!!!!!!!! Love the purple peeking out! Do you have a resource for altering a cap sleeve into a set in sleeve? I tried once and was completely unsuccessful.

Anneliese said...

@Emily: Thank you! For the sleeve, I took the cap sleeve pattern piece and extended it so it matched the armsyce on the bodice, added a seam allowance for the underarm seam, and then I crossed my fingers! I actually just saw this post on McCall.com with a tutorial on adding a sleeve to a sleeveless pattern: http://blog.mccall.com/?p=1589 That should help!

Emily said...

Just lovely on you!!!!!!!! Love the purple peeking out! Do you have a resource for altering a cap sleeve into a set in sleeve? I tried once and was completely unsuccessful.

Kelly O. said...

this is spectacular!! what a punch with that purple! I love it!

Rebecca said...

You look amazing! I love the dress! Makes me want to dig out my sewing machine and sew something for myself, which I *never* do either!

Rebecca said...

P.S. May I ask where you found the nude cami?

Anneliese said...

@Rebecca: Thank you! It's a nude full slip. I think I bought it at a department store--it was a few years ago.

Seaweed and Raine said...

Funky fabric! Enjoy sewing for yourself (I have 3 little boys... Still trying to negotiate time to sew. When do you manage it?)
Sheree

Melissa said...

Gorgeous photos!

jeifner said...

It's fantastic

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