Red Dress

Sometimes you just know when you are creating something, that it will be awesome. I knew this dress would rock and it does!

The fabric is a lovely, light, gauzy cotton purchased from The Fabric Store. I purchased the last of the roll, which worked out to be 120cms by 120 cms, so this dress was a super tight fit. The pattern including the flounce, was drafted by me, which makes this dress even more satisfying.

I took my inspiration for this dress from Karen Walker's Tuscany dress, which I first saw on Heleni's blog. I even saw this dress in real life and was so, so tempted to buy it! But when it comes down to it, I'm a bit of a tightwad and $100+ (on sale) on one dress can fund the fabric to make many items. This is my sewing rationale if you like. Anyway, I trawled though many pattern sites trying to find something similar, but came up empty handed. I didn't even think to look at vintage patterns, but Fran found one recently.

Anyway, it's not a complicated dress and was very simple to make. I originally made a muslin of a darted bodice but changed to an elastic waist for comfort and practical reasons. I think the elastic waist keeps the dress casual, but the self belt lifts it back up a little.

I really didn't want the flounce to be too frilly and I think I achieved that. I love how the pattern of the fabric looks on the flounce.

The belt was made with a vintage belt kit that I'd picked up from the Op Shop. I couldn't figure out how to use the rivets, so instead sewed circles with one of those fancy stitches on my machine that I very rarely use. I still need my hubby to punch out the holes and I need to make a loop to hold the belt after the buckle.

It feels so good to make something really nice. I just know this will be a wardrobe staple for a long while.

Pattern: Self drafted - free
Fabric: $10.80 - I was charged for only 1 meter, due to the end of rolle being less than what I wanted and got 40% off.
Belt kit: .50c
Thread: from stash
Elastic: maybe 50c??
Total: $11.80!!! Bargain!!

People often question whether you can actually save money by sewing. I sew to save money and I really believe that I do. Sometimes home sewn items cost a lot, sometimes a little, but generally always less than what something comparable would cost to buy. And really, it ain't fun going to the shops with my kiddies in tow. It's much easier to sew at night to build my wardrobe.