Monday, September 12, 2011

I had to have one.

Several weeks ago when Annee posted THIS dress, I was floored with how darling it was.  Not to mention I was yet again impressed with my Sew Sister's sewing skills.  She's got mad talent.  Mad.  Her mini maxi dress was stunning, and I just knew I wanted Grace to have her very own.  I figured it was a tricky pattern and I would just covet it for a while, but Annee linked to the tutorial she followed to help make the bodice, and I started thinking maybe it wasn't so far fetched that I could make one.  Then within like 24 hours Summer busts out her own maxi dress.



And then I knew, Grace to have one.



I pulled out some knit I found at the Michael Levine Loft (where you dig through bins and fabric is sold by the weight - totally awesome) in the LA Fabric District, and started cutting.  The knit is darling, but it was so sheer, so I had to line the bodice.  You can see a peek of the teal knit I used to line the bodice here:  (Look closely.)



Sewing the bodice wasn't a problem because I was sewing multiple layers of my thin knits together.  (My bodice pattern could use some more tweaking, but the actually sewing wasn't a problem.)  However, when I started trying to sew the skirt my maxi dress construction came to a screeching halt.  My knit kept getting stuck under the needle and my machine and I were at war with getting this darn dress sewn.  I actually tucked it all away in the sewing room for several weeks before I had the idea of putting tissue paper under the knit to prevent it from getting caught under the needle.





It worked like a charm.  It was a messy process, but I'd like to think that the messier the sewing space while creating something, the better the end results.


See what I mean by sheer?

In the end, I think it turned out pretty darn cute.  At first it was a bit too long, so I took some length off the bodice, and I still think I could take a little more.




However, Grace is going to grow in the next couple of months.  Maxi dresses will still be in style in Spring, right? Maybe?



I'm just happy that the project was completed and didn't end up in the reject pile or the scrap bin.  That would have been tragic.

That's a wrap here at 

Made on 



West Coast.  Peace out!

2 comments:

Annee said...

I'm so proud of you for finding a way to redeem the project! It was totally worth it. I love this style dress on our little girls. I can't tell that your pattern pieces need any tweaking. It looks perfect.

Sanchez Family said...

um....I just bought that dress at the Nordstrom 1/2 yearly sale. I can see why you think Grace's is too long, but for me I LOVE the long length! Darling Liz! You are impressive!

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