Sew Wrong

Fandango Dress and Other Stuff

Well, May went much faster than I anticipated. Mix together some finals, moving home, and apartment hunting, and blend well with visiting relatives and unpacking. So, needless to say, I never got around to sewing up garments for the Mini Wardrobe contest like I planned last month. Two of the fabrics that I wanted were even gone on Gorgeous Fabrics, so it’s just as well. This month I’ve been focusing more on just getting everything back together and preparing for the big move, which will be two months away tomorrow!

I’ve picked out one more summer garment to make this year, and then it’s on to sewing up a storm for fall/winter and also for my work wardrobe.


Fandango Dress
Pattern: Simplicity 3678
Fabric: Knit print from gorgeousfabrics.com

There wasn’t even a question in my mind whether or not to order this fabric, how could I resist? This will be my second time sewing with knit fabric (more details on the first time to come shortly), so I feel pretty comfortable tackling this dress. And it’s a Threads pattern, so it really can’t go wrong. Dresses are so addicting to make! There’s still a few more on my list for warm weather wearing, but they’ll just have to wait until next year.

I also picked up these two Vogue patterns over the holiday weekend; they were on sale for $3.99 each at JoAnn:

Both will be made up in some black fabric for work wear. I’m picturing the long sleeved dress in a black moleskin cloth, since it’s got some good body to it and nice drape. I’m dreading making the pants, even though I love this style, since they are so difficult to fit. My mom is in the process of making some pants for me for my new job, and it looks like she’s going to have to draft a pattern from scratch since it’s nearly impossible to alter the pre-made patterns to fit nicely.

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Floral Tank Dress

Floral Tank Dress

Voila! Finished about 2 weeks ago…

Pattern: Simplicity 2925 (Sew Stylish)
Fabric: Polyester

It looks a little different than the pattern envelope…higher neck and a bit more blouse-y. Not that I mind, but it just makes me curious.

Floral Tank Dress

The neck is supposed to hit quite a bit below my collar bone, but as you can see here, that’s not the case.

I had a devil of a time getting the gathering just right and the straps aligned correctly, but overall it was a quick sew, about three days tops between school and all.

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Kimono Dress

Kimono Dress


Pattern: Simplicity 4072
Size Made: 10 – 14
Fabric: Polyester

Oh Threads, another great pattern from you. It went together ok I guess, but I got really hung up on the midriff band and the directions on how to attach the facing. Made no sense at all, so I omitted it, but I might sew it in my hand if I change my mind. Not only did that bother me, but the ties were made in the most inefficient and time-consuming way possible: hey, let’s press and turn under 1/4″ seam allowance along all the edges and stitch them down. Wtf? It would have been much better to sew two tie pieces together RSF, turn the tie right side out and voila. The tie would be done. And I should have altered the pattern to raise the neckline since it’s a bit revealing, meaning you can see inside. But oh well, I just wear a cami underneath it instead.

I wore it out today and it was so nice to not have to fuss with a strapless bra, like I usually do with most of my spring/summer dresses.

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The Dress is Dead?

Article from the New York Times (might have to sign up to view)

While the big-shots of the fashion world have declared that as of the end of August the dress will be “out”, (And pants will be the new “it” item. How exciting.) I will still be parading around in my dresses, like many of the girls I see on campus on a daily basis. What’s funny is that there are quotes from retail analysts and consultants saying that they believed 2007 to be the year of the dress, and that sales of dresses have been growing steadily since then. I know when I was an intern last summer at Big National Department Store Chain, the dress department in our store always performed the best in terms of sales in the entire Women’s division, even performing better than all the stores in our district. When the first warm day of the year rolled around last week, if you were on campus or downtown didn’t have a dress on, you stuck out.

I think women are having fun with the dress, and I don’t see them letting go anytime soon for a pair of boring, masculine trousers. Sure, pants are great for fall and winter, since it’s usually too cool to bare one’s legs to the elements and probably when it gets too cold my dresses will go to the back of my closet. But for now, I’m savoring my dressesl

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