New Look 6429 and Simplicity 1699

I loved this New Look pattern so much but shift dresses are so hard to fit me and I just don't feel as comfortable wearing them, so I cut it off at the waist and added the skirt from Simplicity. They went together like they came in the same pattern envelope!

The new look pattern has a large curved dart in the front and I straightened that out. I tried on the bodice and it was too big at the waist so I added another dart in the front and darts in the back.

The fabric is a stretch cotton from S.R. Harris and the lace fabric was from JoAnn, from this year! Both fabrics were so easy to sew, I've already used the leftover lace for another project.

Advance 3054

Just one quick shot of this dress. It's wearable, but the print and the cute straps in the front save it. It is too short waisted for me, too tight and too short. Instead of using this pattern again, I would probably use a similar style and use the strap pattern piece.

Butterick 6204

 Another dress in the blue collection, ha, ha. (Just had the blue thread all ready to go).
This fabric was from Hancock, still a bummer that they no longer are in existence.

 I like that the wrong side of the fabric is not too different from the front, since it shows.
I've been using the narrow hem foot a lot and it worked really well on this fabric.

For me the front of the bodice is too short and the bust darts are too long, even though I made the top about an inch longer because I wanted to go sans the waistband. I'm lucky that I love prints because that alone can hide imperfections. I also pinched a little bit out of the front arm area.
Since I never make a muslin and I don't fit as I go, it's something I have to live with, unless I stitch
up the pattern again. How about those shoes? They are from another business (ApparelSave) that is no longer here.

Three Patterns

This dress started life as Butterick 5850. I don't know what happened but it was huge. 

The top was way too big and there was too much of the skirt gathered into that big top. 

I tried adding elastic to the waist and that made it worse. I loved the fabric, so I looked online and I went back to my local JoAnn store. They were all sold out. I went to another JoAnn and as I was leaving after looking everywhere I spotted it! (This was at the end of the season last year.)

This year I cut out Butterick 6446 for the top, because I had used that before and it fit so nicely.
Since I didn't want a repeat of too much skirt at the waist, I used the top portion of the
skirt from Butterick 5982.

 Life is good, I have a dress I like and had three people give me a compliment.

Please excuse the goofy expression, I think I was trying to stay upright in my shoes on the lawn.

Simplicity 2360

 I saw this pattern online and it just so happens that I did not have it, but it was easy enough to find. This pattern seems to run a little small in the bustline (I never have that problem) and in the hips.

The fabric does not have any stretch, so that could add to the problem. This dress is wearable and comfortable, which makes it good in my book.

 Used a little binding at the neckline.

New Look 6223

 

Another pattern I had cut out last summer and just did not get to. I'm always happy that I can fit into the dress after a long winter of staying in the house and eating.

 Love this pattern and I also love the way it fits. This goes on the have to make again list.

Fabric from the stash.

Simplicity 7304

This is my "why was I so afraid to sew silk dress." Seriously, if you have silk in your stash, just go for it. It was a dream to sew and look how gorgeous it is!

This pattern has no fitting issues, it is just sew and go.

The fabric was from S.R. Harris (Burnsville) and the pattern from a quaint sewing store in Monona, WI where all the vintage patterns are one dollar.

Simplicity 5315

 I've had this pattern for a long time and always wanted to make it. Then I saw it on a few other bloggers and knew it was time to sew it up. The denim is from JoAnn and I purchased it on sale for $7.99. It is also on Fabric.com.

 Warning, stand sideways, because all that fabric does make you look wider, but I love this dress anyway!

Here is just one picture from the Gudrun Sjoden exhibition at the Swedish Museum in Minneapolis. She is very talented and to be admired because she knew her style and formed her own company so she wouldn't have men telling her how to design and because she has been successful for so long.

Simplicity 1651

Simplicity 1651 was finished last year, but no time to wear it before the snow began to fall. I like the design detail because it is different from most patterns.

If I do make it again I need to pinch out a bit in the front opening as it is a little wide.

Simplicity 5097

 Sometimes you just need something easy to sew plus my serger is in the shop so I had to find a dress that could be sewn with french seams.

This isn't the most flattering dress (the maxi would probably have better proportion on me), but I will pack it for a vacation. It is super light-weight, crinkly and not see-through.

No warnings on this pattern, it is very straight forward.

Vogue 9237

 This dress came to fruition rather quickly. I bought the fabric for the back flounce at an estate sale and I thought the main fabric coordinated nicely. (Do you ever go to estate sales and the person has the same exact taste as you do?) On one of her patterns she had written her name, so I just said a little thanks to Connie for all her nice things that I am now taking care of for her.

The main fabric was panel fabric so I had to add a seam in the front, maybe that seam is slimming...ha, ha!

If you sew this dress, just know that the neck is a little confining and it runs very short, I added about four inches and it's still too short for me (I'm 5'8").

I used homemade silk binding on the neck with a tie instead of a button.

Cute cat alert!

Simplicity 8637

 This pattern turned out to my liking, but if I were to make this style again, I would use a different pattern, jut because I want my ruffle to be a bit more fluffy. The fabric is from Joann Fabrics and it is the denim that was on sale for $7.99. I did not bring patterns for yardage, I just purchased what they had and it was perfect for this dress.

I made three mistakes on this but nothing that ended up showing, whew! Wimbledon Tennis is on now so better go...

Simplicity 8384

 I bet you are thinking she is putting together a purple collection, ha! Hate to disappoint, but that's just the color thread I had in the machine.

 I really like the hemline on this dress and may have to use it for future creations. This pattern seems to be a little short-waisted...hence the belt made out of scraps.

This pattern is very similar to McCall's 7084, one of my last makes.

Burda 2657

 Finally sewed this pattern, had this pattern and material for such a long time. The fabric is light purple one side and dark the other, so I just cut it out the normal way and tried to make sure the right side was showing.

I look kind of dorky here, but I do have to say the dress is comfortable and fits good. It was also easy to sew except for all the top-stitching.

McCall's 7084

 I've been sewing quite a bit, but not wearing what I've made. We redid our kitchen and helped move the store I work in, so I had to wear washable clothes. This I made last fall and just put it on today. I cut it my normal pattern size and it fits nicely.

The fabric in the godets and the front panel is from JoAnn Fabrics and the stretch cotton is from SR Harris. The fabric from JoAnn is sheer so I could wear a slip, but I wore a cami bra and half slip.

How cute would this be in stripes?