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Hello! I'm Suzannah, a serious DIYer and mom of two little ones. Follow along with my DIY fixer upper house renovations, sewing and crafty projects, real food recipes, and de-stressing goals.
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Sewing Circle: Never seen a pattern like this cute summer ModCloth dress!

Summer dresses are my favorite.  Many of you share this feeling, I think!  I got this Sewing Circle question from Denise about a summer dress she wants to make...

Q:  I am obsessed with this ModCloth dress I found Pinterest. I particularly love the bodice but not sure on where to start with it and as I am currently obsessing over this being my perfect summer dress I would appreciate your help!  

A: Hi Denise,
That is a super cute dress. Unfortunately I’ve never seen a pattern for something like it! it’s basically a deep V yoke, not a detached collar or anything. You may have stumped me, so I’ll be sure to put this up on Sewing Circle, and hopefully other readers will have ideas!

My main pattern suggestion is Simplicity 1799, but cut it off ½” below the natural waist, and give it a full skirt. It doesn’t have a complete triangle in the center front, but cut the stripes to point toward each other on the center and you’ll get a similar look, although not as cool. =( Give it a basic gathered skirt, no pattern needed—I’d say cut only one panel of fabric 2” longer than you want the skirt, sew center back seam, hem it, gather the top, and attach.

Of course, if you’re really brave, you can use any basic dress pattern (I’d try Simplicity 1873) and, adding ½” or so seam allowance to both pieces, cut a deep diagonal that meets in the center, forming a triangle, and cut away the main bodice fabric to allow for it. Sew the yoke pieces right sides together so they meet on the diagonal, then sew them to the left and right front bodice pieces. It’ll be hard to get that perfect point at the waist seam where the triangle peaks. If you do this, cut the lining out normally, so just the bodice has the triangle pieces.

It’s totally not the same thing, but the first pattern I thought of when I saw your pin was Simplicity 2177, because of the neat center front triangle detail! So you can always just go for something with the same vibe/attitude, even though the shape’s not the same.


Boy, wish I could be more help! Readers, have any of you seen the perfect pattern, or ever made something similar??  I would seriously love hearing your ideas for doing this--I wouldn't mind trying it myself sometime this summer, too!

22 comments

  1. Have you seen Colette's Pattern the Hazel dress? http://www.colettepatterns.com/shop/hazel It's features a similar V shaped bodice although the straps aren't the same.

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    Replies
    1. Definitely a similar look! Thanks for the link!

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  2. Anonymous7/10/2012

    Gosh, this is cute!

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  3. not a seamstress (only in my dreams), but love lusting over your projects....

    the last pattern looks like it would be a great match.

    would be interesting if some of your readers who pose these questions send in some photographs of the end result and keep us updated on their progress, how it went, etc.

    good luck denise!

    http://dallianceswithsuitsandskirts.blogspot.com/

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment! Sometimes I do get emails from readers with pics of what they've made, it's very cool to see!

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  4. Hi

    The latest Simplicity 1777 has a similar neck detail. Almost similar!

    I could remember because I was drawn to the
    Collar detail when I first saw the pattern

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  5. Anonymous7/10/2012

    I also instantly thought of Colette's Hazel pattern. I think you could make that dress V-neck. I recently picked up the McCalls pattern MP495. It is a display dress at my local JoAnn Fabric shop. I couldn't find it on the McCall's website. It has a pieced v-neck front that may be similar enough for you.

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  6. I just this on Gertie's blog for better sewing the other day, she pivoted a dart to get v shaped neckline like that and it just happens to be striped as well.

    http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/2011/03/pivoting-dart.html

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  7. It looks like a basic V-neck bodice where the bust darts have been rotated out into the seam where the V meets the shoulder. If you do a bit of research on pattern drafting, specifically, dart manipulation, you should be able to use Simplicity 2177 to get a pretty close copy.

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  8. Possibly Simplicity 1803 if you turned the small V detail into a larger one? It seems like a bodice that has princess seams could work because the main bodice piece could have stripes one way, and the side pieces could go the other.

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  9. Anonymous7/10/2012

    I really like the format of this post. Kind of a Dear Abby format. What a cool idea!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! I get lots of questions from readers and answer them this way once a week or so!

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  10. That dress is cute! Also, saw you on Urban Weeds today, the photos are gorgeous!

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  11. i don't think you would really need a pattern...just make the skirt, make the top tank-top-style, and put it on and cut a v-shape out of the bodice. then add the strips of v-shaped fabric, sew any loose ends, voila :)
    (at least, that's how i would attempt it...but i prefer pins, scissors and trying things on to patterns. it just works better for me though.)
    good luck :)

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  12. that dress looks really fantastic. The details are exquisite.

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  13. Denise7/11/2012

    Oh this is my question! So exciting to see all the suggestions! I haven't attempted it yet but am now thinking of the simplicity 2177 and seeing if i can either add the deep v over the top or somehow take out the inverted v at the waist. Ill post a picture if it works!
    Thanks Suzannah for posting it!

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    Replies
    1. Glad you saw all the responses! Yes, lots of ideas!

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  14. Love the dress. Great colour.

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  15. Well, if you have a sloper that works for you, this would be a fun drafting exercise. Rotate the bust dart to the armscye (looks like you want to straighten the front curve of the armscye too...and the back, I guess?), cut neckline to a v-neck and then slash the pattern from shoulder to center waist to create the dramatic V yoke and there you go! Skirt just looks like a gathered A-line skirt, so that's a cinch too! Hope that helps!

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    Replies
    1. Very true, thanks for the suggestion! Kind of like the Gertie tutorial concept, but for the same shape.. http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/2011/03/pivoting-dart.html

      Wouldn't be too hard if you had the right geometry and vision!

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    2. Definitely similar! After looking more closely at the dress, it looks like what little shaping there is in the bodice is created by princess seams, but if you're drafting for a curvier figure, moving some of the bust dart into the chevron yoke would be a great idea. I'd keep the yoke a separate piece just so you can keep the stripes on the rest of the bodice horizontal, but in any case, seriously cute!

      BTW, your blog has such fun, amazing creative energy! Thanks so much for sharing all of your sweet projects with us--it is always inspiring!

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