It all started in the clearance section. I was wandering through there and found some 1 yard cuts of an aqua ditsy* flower print. I decided to pick up 2 yards of it and make a cute new top. I also grabbed some coordinating bias tape for accent purposes.
I thought about it over the next week and came to 2 realizations:
Tops that are already mostly blue are harder to pair with a bottom since they don't really go with denim.
I really just want some cute sundresses to wear.
So I decided that rather than make a top I should do a dress, and I would probably need a third yard for that, so on my next trip to the store I picked up another yard of fabric, and a zipper. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted, but 3 yards should make a for a cute sundress.
While thinking about it, the July Patreon pattern from Gertie dropped, and I decided to just go for it! I printed the bodice pattern and got to work. However, I didn't feel like lining it and I wanted to make use of the bias tape, so I got creative. I decided to add bias tape all around the top of the dress to finish the edge.
Next up was the skirt; there was plenty of fabric in the first yard of bodice fabric that I could cut out the pockets before even unfolding the other 2 yards of fabric. However, once I opened the second piece of fabric I realized that I wouldn't need the 3rd yard of fabric, unless I wanted an ankle-length dress. While long dresses do have their place, what I really wanted was a sundress with a skirt that was closer to knee-length. So I kept just the one piece of fabric and used that for the skirt. I added a few pleats, and it was all set.
With the skirt attached, I could insert the zipper into the back of the dress. Now that the dress was mostly assembled I could pin the straps onto the back to determine their ideal lengths. My original intent was to use the bias tape as the straps, but they were too narrow for the bodice, so I decided to fold the bias tape over, and make 2 pairs of straps. Unfortunately, even after ironing the new fold, it didn't look secure. I knew that I'd have to stitch it down, but I didn't have any matching thread. So contrast stitch it is. I think that the straps turned out absolutely adorably.
Can you believe that I just had that aqua thread lying around? This has to be at least the third project that I've used it on. Anyways, I stitched on the straps and added a hem.
Completed: July 2023
Challenge: n/a
Material: 2 yards cotton
Pattern: Gertie Patreon Barbara Bodice and improvised skirt
Year: contemporary
Notions: Thread, bias tape, zipper
How historically accurate is it? n/a
Hours to complete: just under 10 hours
First worn: TBD, maybe tonight?
Total cost: 2 yard fabric ($3) + bias tape ($2) + zipper ($3) = $8
*For the purposes of this dress I'm using the definition of ditsy that refers to a small, allover, and uneven print that usually features flowers.