A resort wear dress - wishful thinking and Florida trip!
But I'm going to a warm place next week!!, and had to get prepared. Thank you all for your helpful suggestions and notes last week about packing for Florida!! Sounds like Florida's weather this time of year is pretty good but not necessarily as warm as I'd like, so I realize this dress may be a little too optimistic... but that's how I am sometimes.
Luckily temps are looking up for next week--high 70's in Tampa, low 80's in Orlando--and I think it'll feel HOT to me after this Oregon fall and half of winter. So I'm packing some versatile layers and jeans, but planning to get a little Vitamin D in some warm weather clothes as well.
With the trip coming up, I looked at my fabric stash for some fun tropical/resort-ey prints or brights, and didn't find the perfect bright floral, but did unearth this blue and white lightweight cotton that I had cut out into a shapeless experimental dress last summer and never made.
I used the world's most basic strapless dress pattern, McCall's M5849 (discontinued, princess seam strapless dress, the same as several basic Simplicity formalwear patterns), but I cut it on the bias for a little more casual look. Has a little more movement to it, plus with the stripes it gave me a sort of zigzag across the bodice. I also cut the straps on the bias, and lemme tell you, bias cut straps are a little annoying to sew, but SO much cuter than straight grain ones! The skirt is a simple angled rectangle (left over from the dress I originally cut out). Gathered and hemmed! The dress zips up the back with an invisible zipper.
Here it is!
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Should be great over a swimsuit, or on a hot day for some walking around. Will be great paired with a jean jacket! Or... other ideas?
(Am I crazy, or will this work for February in Florida?!) - Wishful Thinker =)
I used the world's most basic strapless dress pattern, McCall's M5849 (discontinued, princess seam strapless dress, the same as several basic Simplicity formalwear patterns), but I cut it on the bias for a little more casual look. Has a little more movement to it, plus with the stripes it gave me a sort of zigzag across the bodice. I also cut the straps on the bias, and lemme tell you, bias cut straps are a little annoying to sew, but SO much cuter than straight grain ones! The skirt is a simple angled rectangle (left over from the dress I originally cut out). Gathered and hemmed! The dress zips up the back with an invisible zipper.
Should be great over a swimsuit, or on a hot day for some walking around. Will be great paired with a jean jacket! Or... other ideas?
(Am I crazy, or will this work for February in Florida?!) - Wishful Thinker =)
this is precious.
ReplyDeletewow, the bodice fits perfectly! Very cute dress!
ReplyDeleteI am so jealous of your upcoming trip! I'm from Florida and it's this time of year that I miss it most. Have a great time!
ReplyDeleteCute dress!
ReplyDeleteHave you used a Clover bias tape maker? Super easy to make bias straps out of any fabric, usually found in quilting shops.
Have a great time in Florida!
Super cute dress. I live in a town that is between Tampa and Orlando. I thought about putting on a similar dress yesterday. There will probably be a day that you will get to wear such a dress. I highly recommend bringing a jacket along. Particularly if you get cold easily. Our temperatures this winter have been really strange, so be prepared for warm and cold weather.
ReplyDeleteNo, I never have, but it sounds useful for making a lot of bias! I learned cutting my own so unless I'm doing a TON the cutting isn't too frustrating. If I don't do it perfectly it wiggles around too much on the machine, though!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
what a beautiful dress~~
ReplyDeletehttp://annaindeed.blogspot.com
Ok but I think the bodice looks funny with the pattern going horizontal on one side and vertical on the other.
ReplyDeleteI know this might sound a little silly but is there any way you could go into a little more detail about the skirt technique you used here? I mean it sounds kind of self explanatory but it looks so cute here.
ReplyDelete