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Thursday 6 December 2018

The Little Red Dress Project - Rita Blouse By Charm Patterns DRESS HACK

The Rita Dress
The Rita Dress

The festive season is upon us again and for us seamstresses that is usually a trigger for LET'S MAKE EVERYTHING IN RED!

The wonderful and talented Renata from The Twilight Stitcher hosts an annual 'Little Red Dress Project' challenge, and this year I decided to take part!
Christmas in Australia is HOT, so it looks like I now have my Christmas day outfit sorted.

Patterns

I used the Rita Blouse by Charm Patterns and redrafted it into a dress (see below for more details).
The pattern comes in different cup sizes, from B to DD and I cut the size 6 with the D cup.

Fabric

This dress is made in a bright red, cotton seersucker from Spotlight.

Changes

I traced the pattern to the waistline markings on the blouse and then cut it out.
I used my own drafted skirt block and converted the darts on the skirt to princess seams, making sure to line up the princess seams with those of the bodice.  I then taped the bodice and skirt pattern pieces  together to make a dress pattern.

I added a flounce to the hem of the skirt for a little extra fun.

To maximise the ease of getting into the dress, I made the side zipper go all the way up to underarm seam, rather than 3-4cm below. Because this dress is quite fitted in the bodice, that little extra room helps bigger boobs squeeze into the dress.
I usually avoid side zippers for this reason, but the elastic casing along the front and back neckline meant no centre back zipper.

The Rita Dress
The Rita Dress
The Rita Dress

Loves

I love the shoulder/sleaves style of this pattern, which can be worn up on the shoulders, or off the shoulders.

I have been looking for an off-the-shoulder dress pattern for a while, but most of them are free-flowing and loose under the bust and I wanted a more fitted look. I'm bigger on the hips and bust and when the curve of my waist is hidden in loose clothing it can make me look a little frumpy.

I love that this pattern comes with different cup sizes from B - DD. I have made this in both the C and the D cup size. To be honest, the DD would also be a good fit, but I liked how the D cup made the neckline a little lower.

Conclusion

I love how fun this blouse is as a dress! The cotton is cool and comfortable and perfect for summer, so I predict a few more versions of this dress in other colours for this warmer season.

I fell in love with this blouse pattern recently when I made it in THREE different colours! I knew it would make a lovely, fun dress with a little bit of tweaking and I'm happy with how it turned out!

Thank you Renata for hosting another wonderful challenge; I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else has made!

Check out my instagram below to see this as a BLOUSE and with movement! Blog post coming soon.

The Rita Dress
The Rita Dress
The Rita Dress
The Rita Dress
The Rita Dress



4 comments:

  1. I just HAD to tell you that this is stupendous! Perfect drafting techniques evident.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Sandra! What a lovely comment to receive! :)

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