9.19.2013

Trouble In Diy - Wrap Dress


Without any type of training when it comes to sewing, sometimes I start a piece that puts me through complete and utter hell... This was my most recent project that left me thinking it might be time to start a bonfire and throw it in! I did manage to finish it after multiple days of frustration and I'm actually happy with the end result! 


This summer, a long time friend of mine, had an absolutely beautiful backyard wedding. Obviously a wedding of a close friend is the perfect excuse for a new dress if there ever was one. It wasn't until after two shopping trips that I realized that I was having trouble finding anything summery enough that fit my vision of what I wanted to wear as a guest to a backyard wedding. My mother has this beautiful silk printed wrap dress that I adore. The dress itself however, is too tight under the arms yet incredibly loose everywhere else. I decided to use that dress as my pattern with minor changes ( more form fitting and a tie at the waist instead of a button)

Even though I'm happy with the dress, the fit along the bust and underarms really could have been better. The real issue I had though when making the dress was with the lining. One place I went wrong is the fabric choice for the lining. I ended up choosing the cheapest fabric in a matching colour instead of the right fabric. The lining was a blue knit with a bit of stretch while the dress itself has none. I not really use to sewing with light stretch fabrics which I'm pretty sure lead to a whole bunch of beginners mistakes.  That made the last part of connecting the lining to the dress at the front flap and the hem a nightmare. A lot of stretching and pulling I wasn't prepared for that required probably about a dozen attempts to get it right.