Monday, June 22, 2009

Vintage Summer


Now for the last of my stashbusting projects! For now, anyway... *wink*

I had 4 yards of red-and-white striped seersucker in my stash (part of a $5 bag of fabric I found at a yard sale). I love seersucker, but I was quite at a loss to figure out how to use this piece -- until I remembered Butterick 4443! I've used this pattern once before, and was very happy with it -- the fit is just about perfect (still have to work on some neckline gaping, but it's not bad).




Usually I can't handle princess seamed dresses (in fact, most dresses don't look good on me!), but the defined waistline on this dress helps a lot! I made a little jacket from Simplicity 4334, and also bound the neckline, armhole, and hem with red bias. One of my favorite things about this dress is the scalloped hem -- it was relatively easy to figure out, and I love the look!

By far the most complicated aspect of the outfit was the belt. I also had a "cover-it-yourself" vintage belt buckle in my stash, which came in so handy for this project! It took a bit of finagling, but it did work. I top-stitched the belt because... well, just because!





I can't recommend this dress enough -- it's so easy to put together, and it takes very little fabric! I do lengthen the pattern about 4 inches, just so it's more comfortable.

I love the slightly vintage feel of this outfit -- I think I'm going to get my money's worth out of this one! I still have about a yard of the seersucker left, so it might be showing up as an apron one of these days!

16 comments:

  1. Hello! I'm new to your blog and have really been enjoying your sewing projects. I'm a Christian homeschooling mom who has been sewing for almost 30 years. (Wow! I just did the math for the first time.)

    How did you do your buckle? Does it have a little snappy back like a covered button or did you sew the fabric on the underside?

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's nice to "meet" a fellow seamstress, Rebecca, and thank you for your kind words! The buckle has a snappy back like a covered button -- I'm guessing it was from the 70's, but I assume they still make them today!

    Yours in Christ,
    Shannon

    ReplyDelete
  3. That dress is lovely - so flattering on you, as is the colour :-)

    Rachel xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beautiful! You look lovely Shannon!
    Blessings,
    Alyssa :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is so darling, Shannon! You know I love anything vintage. ;) Very well done!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh my.... *sigh* that is the cutest
    dress ever!!

    Blessings~ Jen

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, its so pretty!!! :) Lovely, lovely dress.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh, Shannon, it's beautiful! You look absolutely lovely!

    Thank you for posting it so soon!

    Tiffany

    ReplyDelete
  9. Darling! This really looks great on you, Shannon!

    ReplyDelete
  10. So cute! I love the topstitching on the belt!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Adorable dress on an adorable girl! Good job Shannon!

    ReplyDelete
  12. That jacket is super cute! You should sell them in your shop, I think they would be really popular.

    ReplyDelete
  13. It's darling! What view did you use?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thank you all so much! Your comments have been so sweet! :-)

    Tiffany of Dixie, I used View C (lengthened the skirt and *gasp* lowered the neckline ;-)

    Yours in Christ,
    Shannon

    ReplyDelete
  15. It's great -- I love it! Seersucker is one of the greatest summer fabrics, in my opinion. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  16. This dress is beautiful! I've been reading your blog for some time and am in awe at your sewing abilities; I'm much more of a novice, though I am gaining experience daily! Now, if you had 5 yards of blue and white checkered cloth, what might you do with it?

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thank you so much for stopping by!