Taking advantage of my recent joyous sewing mood, I welcomed Spring with three new garments: a knitted spring sweater, a refashioned skirt, and a self-drafted knit dress.
Power of Three Dress
So named because three women contributed to this dress’s completion. (You can also read a Doctor Who reference into that title, depending on how your nerdiness leans.)
- The fabric was gifted to me last fall by my high school friend Terry in a self-care package.
- The thread was the last bit of a spool that belonged to my grandmother.
- The dress was designed & sewn by me.
Terry gave me this fabric to help me reduce stress and take time for myself. She was successful. It took me a while to decide on the garment I would make with her fabric. This dress was a satisfying project and it is a joy to wear.
Neither grandmother really saw me develop into a seamstress. However, some of their sewing notions live on in my garments and I feel like it gives me more connection to them. My dad has been sorting through his parents’ possessions and just found another box full of his mother’s thread. I also have a box full of my maternal grandmother’s buttons and some of her yarn as well.
Dress specifications:
The fabric is a two-way stretch, subtly-striped purple knit. I think it is mostly cotton with some amount of poly-blend. I used approximately 1-yard of fabric—the fabric was just wide enough to place front and back side by side when the selvedges were folded to the center.
I used fitted t-shirt from my closet as the template for the bodice pattern. I used a woven pencil skirt pattern as the base for the skirt, and because knit fabric stretches, I took the side seams in significantly around the hips and thighs.
The shoulder line was extended into a slight drop-sleeve. I was not in the mood to set-in sleeves, but I did not want a sleeveless dress either.
I used zig-zag stitches for the armholes and the hem. The collar flips too much, so I will add a straight top stitch to hold this collar trim in place. (I am eager to read the new sewing knits book by Colette.)
Me-Made-May 2014?
I am planning to skip MMM14 this year. When I started sewing clothes in 2011, Me-Made-May provided the motivation and inspiration from the sewing community to complete more me-made garments and accessories. I participated in 2012 and 2013, both years feeling like I needed a few more me-made clothes to make it work. Right now, I have three new garments, but I also have plenty of wedding-related tasks to keep me busy and mildly-stressed during May. I hope all of my fellow MMM-ers have fun and I look forward to seeing all of the you-made outfits!
The Fabric Alchemist 
Nice! I like how your necklace accents the dress too! I really like the drop-sleeves, by the way.
I have decided that drop sleeves are ideal for my broader shoulders. Set-in sleeves (at least in RTW shirts) always look too small because the seam hits 1-2 inches from the end of my shoulder.
You look amazing in your new dress! I love it.
Thank you! After so many complicated costumes, the simple comfort of this dress is a joy.
The drop-sleeves look really nice, great job!
Eeep, after reading this it is painfully obvious how little I know about sewing, even though I had good intentions. Didn’t write down the fabric composition or care instructions–what kind of friend am I? Probably bought too much of that, too–it just seemed comfortable, like how I wanted you to feel. Anyway it does look lovely on you and I’m glad it wasn’t a stressful project.
No such thing as too much fabric, only too little. I’ve got other ideas for this fabric, fear not. 🙂
And not too worry about the fabric content. I always forget to write down the fiber content of the fabric I buy. It is a habit I need to change because as years go by, I forget what something is and how to find it again.