Do you ever look in your closet and wonder why you haven’t worn a particular dress you’ve made? I had some time between editing for Lekala, and doing alterations, to try on a few of those dresses that just stay in the closet, but never are worn. They stay because there is something about them that I love, it’s either the fabric, the style, or both. In this case, it was both. What I didn’t like so much was the fit. That’s why, it hasn’t been worn. When I tried it on, the front of the under-arm sagged out a bit, and didn’t fit closely against the body. The back stretched across the grain, and slipped down exposing the strapless bra. I knew just what I had to do to fix it.
I flipped out the facing, which luckily I had not under-stitched, and sewed stay-tape (a woven tape 1 cm wide) to the seams. As I sewed, I gently pushed the fabric ever so slightly toward the needle under the stay-tape. Not enough to pinch the fabric, but just enough to take out any possible ease. I under-stitched, and topstitched all the seams, 1/4 inch from the edge at a 3.5 wide stitch. This did the trick! I wore this dress to a birthday party, and received many compliments. It’s a keeper!
The Facts:
Fabric: Red and white print cotton from Beverlys
Pattern: Retro Butterick B5214
Year: 1947
Notions: invisible zipper
Time to complete: One hour to cut and a day to make it
First worn: June 25, 2012 on Catalina Island, again in 2014!
Wear again? Yes!
Total price: $15.00
I made this dress in 2012 as a weekly contributor to The Sew Weekly. You can still read the entire post and see more pictures over here.
I’m planning a few giveaways when I reach 350 followers or when I write my 400th post, which ever comes first, so stay tuned!
Thanks for looking and happy sewing.
Ah-maaaa-zing dress! You look awesome! And is that a new haircut? Very nice. 🙂
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Great dress, styling and fabric. Very classy, the prefect outfit for a resort holiday 😉
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You look lovely in your “new” dress!
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I’m so glad you fixed the issues because this dress is super cute!! Beautiful color and great style 🙂
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