I love the ease of wearing dresses during hot summer days. There is nothing to coordinate, just throw on one piece and go. I am particular about my everyday dresses though, they need to be cool, not fussy and interesting. Here are some flashbacks of my favorites.
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| Vogue 9112 |
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| Simplicity 1080 |
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| Vogue 1410 |
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| Simplicity 8793 |
When I saw Simplicity 8640, I loved it instantly! I knew I wanted to add it to my summer wardrobe.
I was uncertain which length I wanted, so I made a muslin which I show later in the post. After making the wearable muslin, I figured out what I liked and made this black chambray version (available at Nature's Fabrics). It is my favorite of the two so, I will show it first.
The bodice seam lines are wonderful! They are top-stitched for added definition. The neck and arms are finished with facings rather than bias binding. It gives perfect weight and support and visual interest when top-stitched.
The gathered pockets are adorable! Note, they are positioned lower than standard pockets. If pockets for you are a place to put your hands rather than for phone storage, you may consider raising them.
I enjoy the curves at the sides of this interesting hem.
At the shorter length, there is good coverage in the back.
Come on triple degree temps, I am ready!
For my wearable muslin, I went with a blue and white stripe seersucker stripe in the longer length with the added buttons on the pockets.
This pattern has the "not suitable for plaids, stripes or one-way design fabrics" prohibition.
The bodice is bias cut so I thought is would be fun to see how it would look with stripes. I have had this fabric in my stash for years. I am sewing through my stash and with a few exceptions, I want to use what I have on hand. I enjoyed manipulating the fabric to align the stripes the way I wanted.
I used my walking foot to help keep things together as I sewed.
It was not a perfect match, but it was not the pattern predicted disaster.
Hubby thought the gathered pockets conflicted with the lines of the stripes and suggested I change them. As I have said before, hubby rarely takes a critical and assessing eye to what I make. He just sees me and goodness. A great trait for a husband, but bad for useful creative feedback. I was so impressed that he saw that, spoke up and knew how to fit it! He suggested I flip them to the ungathered lining side and it worked.
I think the the length of view A is too long to be flattering on me. I went with it because I thought it would showcase the curve at the side better. On the chambray dress, I decided the shorter was the way to go. Now that this is blogged and you have seen it, I will likely shorten this one too.
Both of these dresses will get lots wear in the next few months. It was fast and easy to make and is super comfy. I like it so much, I see a linen version in my future.
Happy Sewing,
Bianca
