In my day to day life I wear dresses almost exclusively. They are easy to wear and make one look put-together with minimal effort, because while I enjoy nice clothes, I am lazy and don’t want to have to think beyond “what color cardigan will go with this dress?” Sometimes I buy my dresses, sometimes I make them, but whenever I find a style I find particularly I end up with multiples of the same dress, in different colors or fabrics. Again, I’m a lazy dresser. Why only have one dress that makes you feel confident when you can have one for every day of the week? My wardrobe may be predictable but I love to wear everything in it.
My latest pattern obsession is
McCall’s 6503. It’s a shirt-dress style bodice with different collar variations, a wide midriff band and full skirt, either pleated or gathered. It has a slight vintage feel but it’s still casual. For me, it’s the perfect combination for daily wear, and I’ve already made three!
For the first dress I used a fabric that reminded me of a 50’s atomic print, so I went for a more pronounced vintage look. The dress has a cross front with turned back lapels and a full gathered skirt. The fabric, Gramercy by Leah Duncan – NY Cuircut in teal, is a smooth, lightweight quilting cotton; it has a nice body but isn’t too stiff for a garment like other quilting cottons I’ve used in the past. I topstitched the lapels and midriff band to add definition, and use a handpicked zipper on the side to keep with the vintage look.
The second dress, I decided to go for something a bit more modern. I picked a short rounded collar and wide pleats for the skirt. Again, I topstitched the collar, fronts, and midriff to keep everything crisp and professional looking. I used a gorgeous cotton lawn from Cotton and Steel (Homebody by Kim Kight - Window Vine in Navy). I was really impressed with the quality of the lawn. It’s very smooth and silky but still has enough body. I’m a sucker for whimsical prints, and the tiny windows are fun without being overwhelming.
I loved the collared dress so much that I had to make a second one, this time reusing a Liberty print lawn I purchased in London several years ago.
I already used it for another dress, that sadly no longer fit, but I had just enough fabric left over to cut out the bodice, and I was able to reuse the old dress for the skirt and lining pieces. I love the print far too much to let it go to waste, and I’m so excited to give it a second life!
Posted:
7/14/2015 12:09:47 PM by
Aubry | with
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