The Summer Sundress Sew-a-long officially wrapped up on Monday and I wanted to give a big "Thank You!" to everyone who participated. Frog and I'd love to give you a hug and some cookies too, but there's the whole problem of geography to deal with. Also Frog ate all the cookies. How he gets into the tin with no opposable thumbs is a mystery for the ages.
The number of people who did hop on the sewing band wagon far surpassed my expectations. Sixty nine group members in total and wow, so many beautiful garments! Some of you are lucky that we aren't the same size, cause you might find an empty hanger in the closet one morning. The dress napper strikes again!
All jokes aside, I looked forward to checking the group for new photos every day. All of you so inspiring with your makes and the stories that went with them. Some people dusted off some old FO's and finished them up. Other's tried new techniques that were a little scary. And a lot of us grabbed a favorite pattern and made another dress that we absolutely love. Ahhh it made my tiny Grinch heart grow two sizes.
XOXOXOX
Heather and Frog
P.S. If life got in the way and you didn't get your sundress project done in time, no worries. Feel free to upload it to the group when ever you do.
Hey everybody, there's just under 2 more weeks to the Summer Sundress Sew-a-long.
Plenty of time to finish up any zipper installation, hems, buttons or what not and get your dress uploaded to the flickr group. Heck I'm pretty sure that some of you can whip out a whole new garment in that time.
Many thanks to everyone who has participated so far. I've had a blast Oooing and Ahhhing over your makes. But summer's not over yet, so back to your sewing machines. Chop, chop!
Happy Monday everyone, it's the official start to the Sundress sew-a-long. Hooray! What better way to get started then to round up of helpful sewing tutorials. I've selected several that have been helpful to me in the past and some new ones that seemed perfect for sundresses. Now open your gray cells for a little learning. ;)
9. Need some self covered buttons for your sundress? Laura shows you how to put those suckers together with no pesky metal show through on the Lilacs and Lace blog.
10. Is your sundress screaming for a matching belt? Colette shows you how to whip one up in your left over fabric.
If you know of any other great tutorials, then let me know in the comments. I've love to learn some new stuff and maybe do another round up at a later date. Alright then, guess I'd better go decide which sundress pattern is getting sewn up first!
P.S. - Had a twitter question this weekend asking if self drafted sundress patterns are OK for the sew-a-long. You betcha!
Hello Sew-a-long sisters, I'm back with my vintage inspired sundress picks. You know I like a good retro inspired pattern even if I'm just a vintage dressing poser. Have a seat on the patio and and I'll get you a glass of long island iced tea, while we discuss the merits of princess line seams and halter straps. Then we can break out the red lipstick and decide how many shades a girl really needs.
1. Colette Lily - Some how elegant without being over the top fancy. It might be my favorite sheath style sundress. Contrast bodice and pocket details, yes, yes, yes!
2. Butterick 6019 - Vaaaavooom! Sexy tiki dress, need I say more? "You know, it's dangerous for you to be in the frozen food section. Because you could melt all this stuff."
3. BlueGingerDoll Billie Jean - The perfect dress for picnics in the park. I'm picturing one sewn up in some floaty cotton lawn for those hot summer days.
4. Vogue 8812 - Sure you could go to the beach party in shorts and a tee shirt, or you could go in STYLE! The gathered bust area paired with tiny spaghetti straps is fabulous. Quick, someone find me some red plaid fabric, stat!
5. By Hand London Flora Flora's tank bodice option screams sundress to me. Sewn up in some bright cotton it would be a cute dress for strolling around town.
6. Simplicity 1353 - Oh how I love you view A. The full skirt with the sweetheart neckline just knocks my socks off.
7. Vogue 8789 What this old thing? I just wear it to do some heavy gardening. ;) Jokes aside, the possibilities of a bias bodice intrigues me. Such fun things you could do with a linear print motif.
8. Colette Hazel - I want to insert that old cover girl tag line, "Easy, breezy, beautiful..." cause that description fits Hazel to a tee. The perfect pattern for seersucker or gingham fabric.
On Monday I'll be doing a link round up of sewing techniques that may be helpful when sewing your sundresses. Till then why don't we have another refreshing drink and chill out to the mellow sounds of Seals and Croft. Summer breezes do make me feel fine.
Hello lovey sew-a-long participants! I'm completely thrilled you've caught a case of sundress fever. You know that there's only one prescription for sundress fever and that's more sundresses. So let's get those creative juices flowing by taking a look at some of the great pattern options out there.
Due to the number of sundress patterns that caught my eye, I've decided to break them up into two posts. Today I'll be tempting you with my favorite sundress patterns with a modern feel. The second pattern post will be vintage inspired/reissue patterns. You don't have to sew one of these patterns to participate in the sew-a-long. I just like window shopping for patterns and wanted to talk about my favorites. So let's take a look at my top sundress picks for "summer in the city."
1. Sewaholic Saltspring - Sweet and simple in the best way. It's the kind of pattern that makes you feel cooler just looking at it. Maxi hem option so you can be a sunshine princess in your own backyard.
2. McCall's 6740 - This pattern has a lot of things going on and I like it. High/low hem, godets, and bustier look with a button front. You vixen, you!
4. Simplicity 1607 - OMG Cynthia, those straps are rocking my world. I'm getting a strapy sundress warrior princess vibe! Bonus point for a stylish drop waist, which is something I rarely say.
5. Deer and Doe Centauree Dress - I like seamed bodices and I can not lie. Especially ones that use rouleau straps to create some back interest. Love to see this sewn up in a bright and colorful fabric.
6. Vogue 9001 - A classic maxi dress shape, but with the added pizzazz of some interesting bodice seaming. Could do some fun things with color blocking or bold prints.
7. Pattern Runway Gathered Sundress - Some great design details on this pattern, princess line bodice, waist definition and pockets precious, pockets. I love how cute this looks on the model with sneakers and a hat. Would look equally good dressed up with some wedges and some jewelry.
8. Sewaholic Lonsdale - Even though there's a Sewaholic pattern already in the list, I couldn't leave Lonsdale. It's such a classy sundress and that twist halterish neckline wins me every time
That's all from the city of sundresses. I'll see you guys in a couple of days with vintage suggestions for all your picnicking needs. Till then enjoy the Loven' Spoonfulls telling us how to beat the summer heat.
Is your summer sewing list a mile long? Are you longing for some focus and maybe a soft deadline to get something done? Do you want to help me, help you, help me with my own sewing queue? Is that a YES??!
Froggie says he hears some of you yelling yes and to stop asking questions. Ok then, no more questions. Instead let's break out the frozen drinks and announce the "Summer Sundress Sew-a-long!" *Cue some Beach Boy's music*
The Details
1. Sew-a-long runs from June 16th to August 18th. That gives you two months and an extra weekend to fit in some sundress sewing time. Heck you can even fit in a couple of trips to the beach.
2. Pick any pattern you want to sew. If you're wondering what counts as a sundress then the standard definition of sundress is:
a light, sleeveless dress, typically having a wide neckline and thin shoulder straps.
In the interest of everyone being comfortable, I'm not going to be a stickler about the sleeveless part. Heck for years I didn't wear sleeveless garments either. For sleeve lovers, pick a dress that meets your own idea of a sundress and sew along with us. All pattern companies, current or vintage, are acceptable choices.
3. Join the flickr group. Mingle with fellow sundress enthusiasts and drink some virtual mojitos. More importantly post pics of your patterns/fabric/finished dresses for the rest of us to admire. (The flickr group is by invite to keep the flickr creepers out. I can't guarantee that there won't be creepy comments from your fellow sewing friends.)
4. Get social. Want to share your sewing plans/progress/FO on social media? Use the hashtag #sewsundress so that other sewcialists can see what you're up to.
This week I'll be posting pattern inspiration to get your creative juices flowing or to pad your already long sewing queue. That's right, MOAR Dresses!!!! Stay tuned through out the sew-a-long for helpful sewing links, inspiration, and some goofy fun. I might even be talked into demoing how to sew up Butterick 6019, view A ........ if you butter me up some with liberal amounts of chocolate.
Wanna get in on the fun in the sun? Sign up with the flickr group and grab yourself a blog button. Then dust off your sandals and meet us down at the beach cottage. Summer won't last forever. ;)
