Pattern: Sense & Sensibility Regency Gown
Fabric: Provided by customer
I made this gown for a customer, and I love this peachy, apricot-ty fabric she picked! I can't wear this color, so it's always fun to sew for other people who can wear different colors than I can. I made the skirt a bit longer in the back for a train effect, and changed the bodice to have fan-front gathers.
Pattern: McCall's 3010
Fabric: fabricclub.com
This is a dress I made for my sister from the same pattern as my Aubergine version. The only differences are the sleeves and the smooth bodice front (versus the pin tucking on my gown).
The underskirt is floor-length on my sister, but I left the overskirt at the full pattern length, so it forms a train when she's wearing it.
Pattern: McCall's 3010
Fabric:
Chiffon - fabricclub.com
Satin - Denver Fabrics
I made this dress during the time that my friends and I were really into tea parties. :-) I'd purchased the chiffon when Fabric Club was having a sale, and then bought the satin when I picked the pattern. It actually matches better in person than in the pictures. The diamond pintucking on the bodice was a lot of work, but I think the effect was worth it!
Pattern: Sense & Sensibility Tea Gown
Fabric: fabricclub.com
I made some changes to the pattern for this gown. The pattern instructions have you line the whole bodice, but I wanted the sleeves to be sheer, so I made an alternate pattern for the bodice lining, which also caused me to have to do a lot of handsewing the attach the two! I also changed the shape of the bodice front seaming. On the skirt, I moved most of the gathering to the back, as I don't like front gathers on my skirts.
Patterns: Simplicity 5683 & vintage Simplicity 7308
Fabric: fabricclub.com & Denver Fabrics
This was my first foray into pattern tweaking back at the end of 2003.
I changed the blouse pattern to have flowy bell sleeves, and made it several sizes smaller and added back darts to make it fitted. I also added a side zipper.
On the skirt, I used the two-gore pattern, but pinned the pieces together so the front and back wouldn't have seams down the middle. Then I cut it out on the bias. Considering that I had no idea at the time of how bias behaves, it actually turned out quite splendidly!
Pattern: Simplicity "It's So Easy" #3829
I made this dress for a friend of a friend. It was very simple to put together; the only alteration was to lengthen it from the knee to the floor.
Isn't the color scrumptious? It reminds me of the ocean in Hawaii.
Patterns: New Look 6557 and vintage Simplicity 4706
Fabric: fabric.com
Spring of 2007 found my wardrobe with no suitable dresses for the coming summer, so I decided to make this one. The fabric is a linen/cotton blend.
I had always liked New Look 6557, but the back was a little more bare than I wanted, so I used the back piece from my vintage Simplicity pattern. I also changed the cummerbund/waistband a bit to be straight across the waist instead of curved, and I made the skirt as full as the 60" wide fabric would allow. The dress closes with a side zipper.
