dress / Create / Enjoy

dress

Showing posts with label dress. Show all posts

8.10.2020

Perfect late summer dresses under $40!

Summer is my favorite season by far!! It starts so late here in Oregon we really only get part of July and all of August for warm weather and wearing cute summer clothes before the fall stuff takes over. And I've been very pregnant all spring and summer so I haven't had much chance to enjoy wearing cute dresses and sandals (been wearing thigh high compression socks and maternity yoga pants instead).

This baby is due any day now, so I'm already thinking about enjoying another month or so of warm weather, and celebrating with shopping for some comfy, pretty late summer dresses!!

Perfect late summer dresses under $40!

I rounded up my faves from several sources, plus some great earrings. I looove classics like white eyelet and chambray, all natural fibers when possible, and easy-to-wear colors like blue and variations on earth tones. Loving girlier shapes like puffy sleeves, flounces or ruffles, and ruching!

Hope you enjoy!!

8.23.2017

New fave off-the-shoulder dress pattern + bias pleated bell sleeve

My first bell sleeve dress, and I found a new off-the-shoulder dress pattern that's much easier to wear! I was inspired by a dress I saw on Instagram last summer, and I love how mine turned out! Plus, I used a very cool double-layer organic cotton gauze and it is sooo soft and comfy!

Here's my inspiration! I thought this dress was so cute and different.

I actually wasn't looking for a flat-front off-the-shoulder dress pattern when I found Simplicity 8296, since I've been using ones that have elastic all the way around, but I think they were out of my size on the other one I wanted so I decided to try this one. And I love it!! It stays in place much better than the really loose elastic styles and I like the more fitted look!

I definitely modified this pattern as you can see in the summary below. I made the bias-cut sleeves just like the inspiration! They're just bias-cut rectangles, pleated with box pleats into the upper sleeve.

Organic Cotton Plus sent me this fabric and it's different than anything I've ever used. The double layer makes it perfect for dresses or more substantial tops since it's not too lightweight and not sheer at all.

8.10.2017

Trend that's not going anywhere: black & white check (+ ruffles)! How to Wear DIY or buy one on sale!

Last summer I made this black/white checkered simple dress with a ruffle I added. I couldn't get enough of the buffalo check look, so I also made this top with the extra fabric, and I made this cute full-skirted dress with a smaller black/white check.

Well, I am happy to report that the black/white checkered trend (with some fun accents like ruffles) is not going anywhere anytime soon! I've seen this pattern around this summer as well and when I wore that first dress last night I got several compliments!

I wanted to share a few ideas for getting the look yourself!

So here's mine. It's soooo comfy on a hot day, loose but not sloppy. And the check makes it feel really fresh and cute!

7.25.2017

Sharing my dresses with you! Again!

The past two years I've put up some of my dresses to share with my readers and both times it's been hugely successful (lots of sweet emails and I love hearing from you, and I love seeing how the pieces look on you!). They went like hotcakes last year! I just can't wear all of the garments I make, and there's no use in them sitting in my closet. I want them to be loved by someone else!

So here's how it works. As soon as you see the dress(es) you want, send me an email and that will put you in line. The first to email about each one gets it. I've included size information (measurements as well as more standard store sizes) so please check that it will fit you first!

They are FREE but shipping/packaging is $12/dress this year--unless you're in Portland and want to meet up.

6.21.2017

Blue stripe circle ruffle tie neck sundress

I've participated in Melly Sews's Sundressing series for several years now! I LOVE kicking off summer sundress season with a DIY. This sundress is definitely the summeriest thing I've made this year!

I usually modify old favorite patterns, and this time was no different. I used Simplicity 1355, which I've made several times before (see them all here), with several changes... you'll see below.

6.16.2017

Swingy black floral open shoulder flutter sleeve dress

That's a lot of words!! You can see I tried to cover as much as possible in naming this one.

Feels like almost every Friday night the past few months, getting dressed for dinner out, I've found myself saying, "man, I need more cute flirty date night tops!" Now that we've finally had some nice weather, it's been instead, "man, I need some more date night dresses!" I have lots of cute cotton ones, white and blue and gingham, but not a lot of summer-ey night out-ey ones. So I made this!

I had some of this black knit, the ultimate pretty floral, from this project, and turns out it was just enough to make a short, swingy dress with open shoulder fluttery sleeves.

5.15.2017

My first real sewing project since summer 2016! A flirty floral print dress

I am so excited for warm weather!!! Spring in Oregon is pretty hit or miss but when we have the nice days I get really happy and start thinking about berry picking, day trips to the beach, and wearing cute dresses on date nights.

Since moving to our fixer upper, my sewing room has been in some stage of packed-ness and I haven't had a lot of access to my patterns, fabric, and tools. But I did set up the machine to make these pillow covers and I do have some room to work. I got inspired for a transitional springy floral dress, and made this one up in only about 2.5 hours of sewing! (Cause I also don't have much time for sewing when there are bathrooms to renovate!)

8.10.2016

White oversized polka dot shift dress, new LWD

I love the LWD (little white dress). There is just something special about an all-white lacy top or dress for summer! I've made quite a few. (I think my favorite is this one from last summer.) But I tried something new this time around with a simple shape and a very cool woven textured huge polka dot voile!

I used my go-to plain shift dress pattern, Simplicity 2584 (see all my versions of it here). You could use any basic shift dress pattern. I am used to doing major modifications to this simple little pattern, and this dress was no exception! It doesn't look anything like the original Cynthia Rowley finished dress versions.

The fabric is from a wholesale company my mom shops from for her business. It's some kind of voile, Maggy London brand. (She didn't realize the dots were so big when she ordered it, so she gave it to me!) Not sure of the fabric content but it's a little stiff and resilient to pressing! Perfect for a dress, though, with a full lining.

Pretty cool print-matching on the back, huh??

A plain LWD is so elegant! Definitely just more dressed-up than ones I've made in the past.

Oh, also, the fabric is just barely off-white, but I couldn't find a lining that was the right color. So I used a pure white lining, which makes the dress look lighter overall. I'm good with it! It's an LWD with texture and multi-dimensional color.

Pattern: Simplicity 2584 (see all my versions of it here)
Modifications:

Did not cut the slit at the neckline; cut the scoop neck wider
Made it a little shorter
Gave it a full lining instead of a facing

Shop my all-time favorite summer heels and some other options & accessories here!

7.19.2016

Black and white gingham fit-and-flare dress

I made this black and white gingham dress earlier this summer and I'm pretty much obsessed. I've worn it quite a few times and it's so versatile, not too dress or too casual, super fun, and goes with everything!

Gingham in basic colors is usually easy to find and pretty affordable, too! I figured, with how much I love the first one, it wouldn't hurt to have another, though different, checkered dress, right??

I did want to do a pretty different style than my elastic waist, ruffled one. I looked around at gingham dress inspirations (there are a TON!) and decided to keep it really simple and do a fit-and-flare, full-skirted style. Like these:

I used/modified Simplicity 4531, which is completely ancient and I'm sure out of print, but you could use any fitted camisole bodice dress pattern. I did a simple gathered skirt, two panels.

The style is so simple and classic, except the shorter skirt!

I cut the center front of the bodice down to a sloped V, rather than the wide scoop the pattern called for.

So fun to wear, and summery!

Now I may have the issue of having to decide between these two checkered numbers when I get dressed for the next summer event... I guess this one is a little more formal and the other is a little more backyard BBQ-ey!

Pattern: Simplicity 4531
Modifications:

Changed shape of neckline to deep V/sweetheart
Ignored skirt pattern, used two panels cut to desired length instead
Cut straps on straight grain instead of bias cause I didn't have enough fabric

Of course, if you don't feel like sewing your own, there are a couple of great options for very similar ones!

7.14.2016

Embroidery-inspired ribbon trim crepe shift dress

I sure do love summer dresses! This one's a little different than several recent ones because I had some fun with trim!

This sweet white crepe shift dress was inspired by this embroidered swing dress from LOFT, and I guess also by those beautiful, multi-colored embroidered yoke Mexican cotton ones. So pretty, and you could make one at home, but that's a lot of specialty embroidery! It would be quite a project. But I liked the simple design of the embroidery around the neck of the LOFT one and actually, I looked around and found quite a few with similar amounts and patterns of trim.

I figured, I have some cool patterned ribbon, I could shape it pretty similarly to the embroidery patterns. I just needed a yoked dress pattern. I dug out Simplicity 2896 (very old) and modified the shape of the yoke a bit. And I gave it a full lining instead of the facing the pattern called for, since the cotton crepe I used is so sheer.

It's not as complex or detailed as the pretty embroidery patterns, but I really like the amount of trim in this pattern and the colors! Very summery, right?? Perfect with espadrilles and my new favorite thing, a summery straw carry-all tote.

I totally love it!!

Pattern: Simplicity 2896
Modifications:

Made yoke straight across instead of curved
Made neckline more of a scoop neck, less of a boatneck
Gave dress a full lining instead of facing
Made it shorter

You know how sometimes you smell something and it reminds you of a place or time? I feel I should also disclose that I carefully placed all that ribbon while watching the Seinfeldvision episode of 30 Rock. I recently started rewatching as a fun escape during sewing time. So Tina Fey is partially responsible for this dress!

If you don't have time for sewing one yourself but love the soft, crepey, embroidery trim look, you can shop these similar ones below, some under $30. Also some great espadrille and tote options!!

7.06.2016

Sharing my dresses with you!! 2nd Edition

Update: All the dresses have gone to homes--it took less than 24 hours, and less than 12 for most! I got sweet emails from so many of you and I'm so happy we were able to connect--and I hope you love your dresses!

This is a very special kind of post! I don't do custom sewing but I do love to share my creations with the world, sometimes in ways other than hopefully inspirational blog posts ;). Last summer when we thought we were moving, I started cleaning out the spare closet and shared a handful of dresses I'd made that no longer fit me or are no longer part of my lifestyle.

Those dresses went like hotcakes!! Within minutes of publishing the post I had quite a few emails about them. One of them, I was so excited, was from an old college friend who was perfect for the very cool pale blue lace overlay full-skirted party dress she wanted! How cool is that?! Of course, all my readers are my friends once I get emails from them =), and I'm just so happy when these pieces can go to good homes.

As with last time I did this, I don't want any money for them, other than to cover the cost of shipping unless you live around Portland and want to pick one up. Please take a look through these 10 super cute, well made, fun and playful dresses and send me an email to reserve the one (s) you want!! Most of them have only been worn once or twice.

6.16.2016

Off-the-shoulder blue and white stripe dress from Sundressing - and a giveaway!

I looooooove sundresses. They're my favorite kind of dress to make and wear, and dresses are my favorite thing to design/sew! (Of course I love them - this blog used to be called Adventures in Dressmaking!) I just love when the weather gets warm enough for wearing cottony, sleeveless, full-skirted dresses outside.

So I of course I was excited to see and review Melissa Mora's new book, Sundressing: Sew 21 Easy, Breezy Dresses for Women and Girls! You may know Melissa from Melly Sews; we've been blog friends for ages and she has some great resource on her blog! Her new book Sundressing just came out and it's a really fun, creative, idea-packed book that starts with a basic pattern and shows you how to create all kinds of cute dresses--I just made one of them myself!

Click through for the post and giveaway!

6.07.2016

Colorful, playful party dress for an exciting anniversary party!

Over the weekend we attended a really fun and memorable 10th anniversary party of some good friends. I knew from the colorful invitation suite (and checking with the hostess!) that everything was going to be really bright and fun, with lots of pink, yellow, orange, and black/white. I wanted to make a new dress for the occasion but didn't have a specific design in mind - so I went to the fabric store looking for the perfect fabric that would speak to me!

I debated about a solid color coral, thinking I'd make something strappy with a natural waist, sweetheart neckline, and pleats, but I also found this super bright (is it a floral? I almost can't tell) Nicole Miller print.

Read the rest after the jump!

5.24.2016

The perfect simple knit maxi dress and #OOTD book review

There's a new garment sewing book out from the publisher of my book, C&T Publishing. #OOTD (Outfit of the Day) Sew & Style: Make Your Dream Wardrobe with Angela is a fantastic overview book about sewing, fabric, and design with handful of basic, customize-able patterns included. Having just spent some time sewing with less-experienced friends, I could immediately tell flipping through this book that this content is needed and valuable for anyone looking to learn to sew!

I tried out the basic skater dress bodice pattern and made a few modifications, like Angela suggests! Each of the styles can be modified with her instructions and the techniques explained earlier in the book.

Click through to read more...

5.12.2016

Buffalo check everything! Like this black and white sundress

Possibly my new favorite dress!

Checker print is around quite a lot this spring/early summer and I love it in blue/white, pale pink/white, and like this dress!, the always-interesting contrasty black/white! I've seen a couple black/white check print dresses and tops this season, as well as lots of ruffles, and I made up this combo using a super simple sundress pattern which I also heavily modified.

Read about it after the jump!

2.17.2016

Perfect floral print wrap dress

I've been wishing for a floral like this for a long time!!

I've admired long floral maxi dresses in dark colors this year and last, and wanted to make myself something similar... but the knit fabric selection at fabric stores is so limited and I never saw something I liked. Girl Charlee Fabrics has quite possibly every knit print ever made (and some great wovens, too) and when I scrolled through their selection I found this beautiful black floral/leaf-ey print that I thought would be perfect for a dramatic maxi wrap dress! Girl Charlee sent me this lovely fabric, plus a PDF of the Magnolia Wrap Dress by Seamingly Smitten.

The Magnolia Wrap Dress pattern was quite possibly the easiest dress pattern I have ever used. (I altered it, by the way--I made it full length, made it slightly lower cut than called for, and tapered the long sleeves so they were fitted.) I was a little intimidated before I cut the dress out, since I don't think I've ever made a wrap dress before and it was a lot of fabric (though I think I used only 3.5-4 yards since it was super wide). But the PDF pattern has only TWO pieces--the bodice back/front left/front right and the sleeve. You do simple cutting and measuring to make each side overlap.

I was a little worried the skirt might not be full enough somehow (I just extended the line of the shorter lengths offered in the pattern) but it's actually PERFECT! It's so comfortable and provides a perfect amount of coverage for my legs while walking.

Not including cutting time, I think it only took me about 3 hours to make the whole thing! The instructions were so simple and it's a knit so it was forgiving--it was really fast and fun to put together! Also, I think it works for practically any season, don't you? It feels springy but could also work for fall.

Pattern: Magnolia Wrap Dress by Seamingly Smitten
Modifications:

Made full length (I measured my skirt length from my waist and lined up measurement with the narrowest point in the dress (waist))
Tapered long sleeves to fitted
Cut down neckline slightly for a deeper V
Used binding on sleeve ends rather than hemming (they were a tad too short before hemming)

Thanks to Girl Charlee for providing me the fabric and PDF pattern!

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

© Create / Enjoy • Theme by Maira G.