Long time coming white lace and knit dress

Long time coming white lace and knit dress

• 7.07.2014

A very long time ago, I pinned this photo. Loved this lace dress, not quite maxi, not a typical midi length, sort of hippie but also fresh and clean cut. I aspired to make it!

Source

I even got the perfect lace a while ago. This border print "hexangular" lace from WholePort totally captured the feel of the original dress, but also had a cool border print! No hemming, plus extra interest. (Although, I was limited to the width of the fabric for the length of the dress, but it turned out just the right length.)

But I didn't make the dress until this weekend, because I didn't have a pattern or lining. I knew I wanted a lightweight cotton knit lining, but even basic lightweight knits can be expensive! I've definitely made dresses where the lining was twice as much as the fabric - like this one - but I hadn't even found the perfect thing at the fabric store. So when I found a 100% cotton jersey fitted twin sized sheet at Goodwill for $1.99, I snatched it up and cut it apart for linings just like this one! It was perfect!

Still no perfect pattern, but I used Simplicity 2584, a simple sheath dress with bust darts at the side seams, and cut down the neckline into a deeper scoop and cut the shoulders wider instead of giving it cap sleeves. Any basic sheath dress pattern would also work , but I wanted one with bust darts instead of long vertical waist darts, to keep the angles simpler for the lace.

Both lace and sewing on knits can be tricky to work with (among top Sewing Circle questions, see my tips on sewing on lace here and sewing on knits here), but they also can both be a little forgiving.

The result!

I think we can all agree it will DEFINITELY be cuter with a thin wrap belt or some accessories! But I love how the border print hem looks, and the shorter knit lining layer.

I love basics like white dresses! Great to have one with a more hippie feel!