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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.
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!

A major floral maxi dress for a very special wedding

I know I said just last week that I've made so many dresses in the years of running this blog that it's a little tiring sometimes to enjoy the fun of designing something new. But special occasions like the one I made this dress for are different.

I'm so happy for my oldest friend from childhood, who just had an amazing wedding last weekend! It was at a totally rustic venue up in the hills north of town, on a little lake and surrounded by big trees and shade. Seriously such a beautiful and peaceful setting, and huge guest list including people of all ages so it was a very fun, casual, happy event.

I've been thinking about what to make to wear for her wedding for a long time now, as I shared with my ideas in this post. I really loved that lavender floral Anthropologie halter, but I had the hardest time finding a fabric that would capture the mood. I seriously went to the fabric store three or four times looking for something. Eventually I gave up on the color family and gave up looking for a knit or breathable cotton, and bought the last of the bolt of this "photo print" floral crinkle chiffon at JoAnn.

I wasn't able to find the perfect lavender tropical print, but I did like the high neck halter idea from my original inspirations. I pulled out a pattern I bought years ago but have never used, Simplicity 2579 (pretty sure it's out of print). It was fun to make a style I don't do often!

I seriously bought the last of the bolt and it was quite a stretch to get this maxi out of it. So I had to piece the center front midriff panel. Oops.

On the bolt, it looked light pink to me, but then I put a white cotton under it (since I also had a hard time finding the right lining, ugh!) and it really brightened it up. Plus, white cotton is a much nicer lining for summer than anything whatever candy pink poly lining I was going to find. (And SO much easier to sew with!)

After I made it and was looking through my scans, I saw this magazine page (March 2014). Trend: "Super-Modern Florals." Yeah, I'd call my hot pink flower photo fabric a super modern floral! It is a fun, bold trend!

Oh, and the dress on me? It was great for a hot evening!


It was really special to have a new dress I made just for the occasion. Events like this don't come up all the time, so it's fun and exciting and fulfilling to make something new! Plus, I love summer events and a chance to dress up!

7 comments

  1. That is so pretty! Gorgeous colours on you. But the style is really lovely too, and spot on fit by the looks!

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  2. This dress is gorgeous! The colours are really lovely and it's just perfect for a Summer wedding! Lovely :)

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  3. you loçok soo pretty in that dress! great job, really!

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  4. You look very pretty in this dress. :)

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  5. Love it! The purse is pretty perfect, too.

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  6. Love it! I decided last night to alter a pattern and make a dress for a wedding we're attending tomorrow. Nothing like last minute scrambling.

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  7. You look beautiful! I hate it when I see something (like your dress) and want to make it, knowing full well it wouldn't work for me. (I don't "do" halters).

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