WELCOME

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.
I believe you can love your home just the way it is, AND have the power to design and make big changes to make it better.
I'm also the author of DIY Wardrobe Makeovers!

Yes/No lace party dress--yep, pretty much how it sounds.

Let's get creative and brave!
I love dresses (duh), but I get a little bored of the same types of fabric and same combinations. So I tried to get extra creative with this one, aided in part by this funky lettering lace and by an epiphany I had while cutting it out (my thought exactly: "Aha! Pink piping!" I literally wrote it on a sticky note and put it with the just-cut-out dress).

For this dress, I used an old standby pattern, McCall's M5849, which I use for most of my strapless and strappy dresses and even used for my wedding dress (scroll down to see my post about bodice construction and fit). In fact, for this dress I used the same grey fabric that I used as the base of my wedding dress and for all of my bridesmaids' dresses. Recognize it?

Of course, the really funky part about this dress is the lace. WholePort often sends me supplies to try out, and I picked out this lace from their many beautiful and interesting lace yardage choices. I love the florals, too, but I wanted something different this time!, so I got this lettering lace! YES NO YES NO YES NO, it says... and it didn't need a hem because of the edge print! Convenient.

And like I said, the pink piping just popped into my head right after I finished cutting it out, and I think it was a good choice. I already had a belt that goes, too!

Because the grey fabric is so substantial and because neither it nor the lace frays, I was able to use only the lace layer and the grey as a base/lining. (See popular Sewing Circle questions for more on lace and linings.) So only two layers here, despite the sheer lace layer on top. I used the pink bias tape for piping and as a bias binding around the top edge, although you can't really see it. I thought it might peek out and I hand stitched it very carefully, but it hides. Oh, well.

Super fun, right?! How soon can I wear it, considering it's still winter and I don't have any spring weddings coming up?!

21 comments

  1. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! you can wear it right now, because YES, no? cardis work wonders!


    having an affair with pink piping myself, at the mo.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is beautiful! I've never seen such cool lace before - I'm always a bit afraid of white lace since it can easily look bridal or like curtain, but this one rocks! I love it much more with the pink belt. The piping looks a bit lost without. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love the pink detail on this dress!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is so cute!! I've never seen lace like that, but now I SO want some. It's such modern take on lace.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You may have addressed this on your blog already, but do you build in undergarments or wear a strapless bra with dresses like this?

    ReplyDelete
  6. This dress is so cute 💛
    http://chelseashead92.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  7. Haha, this is great! I love a good dress that is not too serious from time to time!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the lace! So cute! You're all set to go to a modern art show opening!

    ReplyDelete
  9. This would be so cute on Valentines day too. Could wear a little pink sweater. You know those little ones with ruffles on the sleeves/collar and front maybe. This lace is to darn cute. Glad you made it and love the length on you too looks good.

    ReplyDelete
  10. That is the coolest lace ever. Love the little bit of pink too, it's gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I've never seen lace like that, it's amazing! Really cute dress, looks lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  12. That is adorable! Do you have hot pink shoes to wear with it?

    ReplyDelete
  13. This dress is genius! High-five for your brilliance. The lace is awesome. And the pink piping. Totally adds the final punch. Love the belt. Can't wait to see where you wear it and how you accessorize!
    Tristie from Utah

    ReplyDelete
  14. I was just reading your article and trust me you are looking gorgeous in these Party Dresses. Love it. You have mentioned every thing really well.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks! Unfortunately no!! Don't even have grey ones! Guess I have till spring to find something that goes..!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Good question! I haven’t talked about that much. I normally just
    wear a strapless bra with them, as I did with this one, but for tiny strappy
    low-cut summer dresses or halters I have often sewn in bra pads from the fabric
    store. I’ll be sure to mention that next time I do, and show a pic of the inside!
    I normally hand-sew them in in a few places. Maybe I’ll post about that this
    summer!

    ReplyDelete

Search

© Create / Enjoy • Theme by Maira G.