OMGs, friends, how did it get to be October already?!? Though the calendar says it’s fall, until pretty recently it seemed like the weather didn’t quite get the memo and summer was here to stay. Just in time for what seems like a beautiful fall day (can’t say I’ve seen i for myself, what with working the day away, though obviously not so hard that I’m precluded from blog updating), though, I’m posting a truly summery garment I made quite a while ago. In fact, it’s a me-made version of my absolute favorite dress of the summer, this little number from Target:
Sourcing this image, I’ve just learned that my Dress of the Summer is *actually* a juniors garment. So not necessarily designed with a woman of my advanced years in mind, but no matter. I loved it so much I bought it in two colors. And then I loved it so much I decided to make my own.
This was a pretty easy make, and one of the projects from my fall sewing list. I made a few small modifications from the original pattern, which is McCalls 6744. First, the pattern is designed for knits, but I used this Robert Kaufman dotted chambray that was all over the internets this summer. The pattern certainly has enough ease that it worked for me without any adjustments. I love this fabric so (too?) much–it is soft and light and so comfortable I may have accidentally worn this dress to bed. Twice. Really a great fabric.
The second change from my original plan (which was to use bias binding on the edges of the sleeves and racerback) was just a simple narrow hem. This was great practice working with a double fold narrow hem (without stretching the heck out of everything). I’m not sure the shape of the racerback ended up being the most flattering–it just seems a little out of proportion to me–but the hem worked out pretty well.
Finally, in a tribute to the Target inspiration garment, I drafted (okay, drafting is a strong word for what I did, but it was done off-pattern) a faux button placket for the bodice of the dress. Not gonna lie, pretty proud of myself. And it even looks pretty straight.
That’s my excited face. I had my heart set on purple buttons, and the only ones I could find in my limited button stash were these kind of country casual daisy buttons, but the color was right so I just went for them. They are absolutely my least favorite part about the dress, but can be easily changed so I’m sticking with it.
So there you have it, a summer dress shared on a (decidedly) fallish day. How about you–still digging out from your summer sewing (and knitting, equal opportunity here), or are you more seasonally appropriate than I?
Charm City Crafter 