DIY Red Bombshell Dress

I did one of those things I've been wanting to do for a long time.

I bought a dress (online! On sale! cheap! polyester!) and tried my hand at copying it and making my own version.
I loved the drape of the neckline, and the classic silhouette. It is such a sassy dress, and I upped the drama by making it in red. As you do.

Fabric

I purchased a lolly-red, cotton sateen from GJ's Discount Fabrics.
The original purchased dress (black) had the look and subtle stretch of a cotton sateen and I wanted to mimic the fabric as close as possible to achieve the same fit.

Details

The bodice is fully faced (lined) with the same fabric. The bodice front is actually one big mirrored piece that folds over itself at the neckline.

I cut the bodice on the bias, and added spaghetti straps at the shoulders.
The bodice is shaped with two big pleats on either side of the bust which creates the cowl shape.

The skirt finishes just below the knee with a thigh high split.

The original dress by Chancery in blue. Image from www.theiconic.com.au

Final Thoughts

I love how this turned out, and I'm shocked how straight forward it was!
Makes me look differently at some of my old favourites in my closet that are on their last legs. You could trace them or pull them apart to make pattern pieces and reincarnate something you love.

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

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.

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.

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Feeling a little bit ‘Anita’ from West Side Story for #sewphotohop Day 30 - WHAT’S NEXT ON MY LIST The #ritablouse by @gertie18 ❤️❤️ I finished this red top a few days ago in a cotton seersucker and I plan to immediately back it up with one in white and one in blue. Swipe to see the blouse untucked. Wearing it here with my me-made linen skirt (which I didn’t realise wasn’t zipped all the way up 😩😬) A great vintage-style pattern with: ❌ sleeves that can be worn on or off the shoulders ❌ side invisible zipper ❌ different pattern pieces for bust cups B-DD! (Yass!) - - - #sew #sewing #vintage

A post shared by Julia Bobbin (@juliabobbin) on Oct 2, 2018 at 1:04am PDT

Lady Danger - Vogue 1426 and 2931 Mash Up!

It happened to me; the moment every seamstress dreams of – I got invited to a wedding and the dress code? FORMAL!

Happiness levels to the MAX!!

After lying on the floor in a pleasure stupor, my brain short-circuiting with non-stop ideas of sequins, tulle, floor length gowns, diamonds and our Queen Beyonce, I slapped my self across the face and started to focus my ideas.

It was always going to be this; a floor length, fishtail, red strapless gown.

Please say hello to my little friend, lady danger.

DETAILS

Pattern

This dress is the lovechild of two Vogue patterns. From waist up it is Vogue 1426 and from waist down it is Vogue 2931

Why? BECAUSE THESE TWO WERE MEANT TO GO TOGETHER!

Fabric

A wool/polyester blend that I purchased from the Fabric store. It is soft but with a medium weight and has a lovely matte finish which I think adds a sophistication to the look.

The dress is lined with this stunning fabric that I bought from the Alannah Hill outlet in Brunswick Street for $5AU a metre. I basically want to line everything I ever make in this stuff because … ballerinas.

Construction

This bad boy is made up of an interfaced outer fabric + lining + foundation for the bodice with boning. I’m pretty sure you could throw a rock at my stomach and I WOULDN’T EVEN FEEL IT. #sewingarmour

There is an invisible zipper down the centre back and a hook and eye to close.

Changes

I had to move the princess seams slightly on the skirt front to match the bodice seams and luckily the back matched up perfectly!

I made this dress in a size 14 and didn’t make a muslin first. GASP!!! Scandalous I know! I don’t normally cheat on something like this, especially something so formal but having a 3 year old and a baby means all my good planning usually ends up in the ‘leave to the last minute’ pile.

PLUS I figured that regardless of the many layers to this dress, it was in essence a simple princess seamed dress and they have to be one of the easiest things to alter after it has been made.

I did end up taking in all the seams a LOT and really should have cut a 12 or even a 10 (hello weird post baby body shape) which is why muslin's are important but hey, who doesn’t like to learn a life lesson when they sew? I also removed a lot of excess fabric in the bust area which has to be the first time I've ever done a small bust adjustment on these girls.

I then took in the skirt at the knees to exaggerate the fish tail shape, but still giving myself enough room to be able to move.

Here are some movement shots to show you just how awesome this skirt is. You're welcome.

Lastly I added horsehair braid to the hem of the dress, which I blind stitched in place. This just gave the hem a bit more form and helped it to fan out more once again emphasising the fish tail shape.

Features

When I first saw Vogue 1426 I was instantly drawn to the shape of the bodice because what I liked about the neckline was that it was sweetheart shaped, without being too sweetheart shaped, youknowwhatimean? But I wasn’t the biggest fan on the skirt. Then I saw Vogue 2931 and I loved the skirt but wasn’t in love with the bow halterneck bodice. Then the idea to merge the two hit me and I couldn’t get it out of my head.

I love how the shape emphasises the female form and does it with flattering princess seams. The foundation with boning gives great support and helps maintain the shape.

Problems

If I was ever to make this bodice again I would make it slightly tighter on top as the ever so slight looseness meant that the bodice slid down a little during the night and I felt like I was forever readjusting so I didn’t keep exposing my bra.

I would then close the dress with hook and eye tape to relieve pressure on the zipper.

With a more fitted bodice I would also be able to add bra cups so that I could avoid a bra all together.

Conclusion

I finished the dress the day before the wedding and luckily I love how it turned out!

A dress like this is a statement dress and I definitely felt like a bit of a rock star wearing it that night.

And so another me-made dress now hangs proudly in the closet.

Until next time folks! xx

Project Sewn Week 2 - The Era Challenge - Butterick 5747

Thank you so so much to everyone who voted for me last week on Project Sewn. I made it through the first round (hooray!!) and now here is my entry for week two's 'Fashion Era Challenge'.

Once again 50% of the vote is up to the public. So check out the other gorgeous outfits and if mine is your favourite I would be TICKLED PINK if you voted for me. Voting closes Thursday 8pm MDT.

For this weeks challenge we had to make a dress from an era of our choice and I chose the 60s. Surprised much?

The 60s is one of my favourite eras for fashion. The range of styles that were introduced in one decade it incredible. In particular I love the fashion at the beginning of this decade. It still had influences from the 50s but with the attitude and boldness of the new time.

The Pattern

To create my look I used Butterick Pattern B5747 which was originally released in the year 1960.

Image on far right from the Butterick Patterns website

I made version A of the pattern and cut it in a straight size 14.

The instructions were pretty straight forward, though they did jump around a bit.

There is a step missing in the instructions! Watch out when you're about to attach the skirt to the bodice/waist band. It skips the step that has you turn in the waist band at the centre front. This will make sense to you if you are making this dress.

Features of the dress

The dress is closed down the centre front with four buttons.

Like a lot of vintage patterns, the dress isn't lined but uses facings.

The dress has a full pleated skirt, a waist band and a gorgeous boxy collar. I made my dress using a thick quilting cotton and added white trim for contrast. I love how it gives the dress a bit more playfulness.

The dress also features a detachable dickey. I've seen some other bloggers wear this dress without the dickey and it looks gorgeous. Unfortunately my dress doesn't look very 'family friendly' when I wear it without!

The beautiful Anna Neah made a similar dress recently but with a different pattern. I'm bananas about her version. It's like we're sewing twins. It freaks me out how much I love everything she makes. If you don't follow her yet you are CRAY CRAY! Check her out!

Changes I made

I'm actually wearing the dickey slightly lower than the pattern design as it overwhelmed my short torso when I was wearing it the original height. It sort of looked like it was choking me!

I also omitted the belt and used one that I already had. I raised the hem slightly to a length that flattered my shape and height better. No other alterations were made to the pattern which is such a nice change!

Styling

I teamed my dress with red lipstick (of course) a beautiful vintage brooch curtesy of the Ruemiraldi store, a red belt and a big bouncy petticoat that I'm a little bit in love with. I love the fullness it adds! I also tucked my hair under to create a sort of faux bob. My hair is a bit long for this era!

Conclusion

That's it, I'm wearing full skirts every day. Just try and change my mind.

Ok so maybe I'm prone to the obsessive, but I feel like a freaking princess in this dress. And the skirt has excellent twirling capabilities. I'm actually a little bit nervous to go out past midnight incase my dress turns to rags and I lose a shoe. It happens.

A special thanks to my parents Beverley and Michelangelo (who totally has The Kinks stuck in his head now) and my sister Angeline who looked after Harry while I sewed like a maniac to get this finished for the deadline. And of course to my wonderful husband/photographer who patiently photographs me even though I inevitably turn into a diva during the process.

Thanks again for all your support! You can vote for me and my dress here.