STYLISH DRESS BOOK : DRESS "M" VARIATION
Liberty of London Summer Challenge : Project 5
Stylish Dress Book (available at the workroom)
Dress ‘M’ variation : Liberty of London ‘Wiltshire’
We went to a wedding in Montreal a couple weekends ago. It was a lovely affair out in the country on the grounds of an old mill. It was the perfect occasion to sew up another dress using my stash of Liberty of London fabrics. I chose to use the deep plummy ‘Wiltshire” print.
I agonized quite a bit over what pattern to use. I went through my vintage sewing patterns, scoured my collection of Anthropologie catalogs and revisited my inspiration folder on my computer. In the end I decided to make a version of Dress “M ” from Stylish Dress Book. The Japanese dress books always come to the rescue in the end.
To make the pattern a bit more dressy, I made the back neckline a ‘v’ shape and made a facing for the bodice to clean finish the neckline and armholes. To create more gathering in the skirt, I added a few extra inches to the width. This was really not necessary, but just a result of me being over zealous about gathering.
Of course, I was working on the dress just a couple days before leaving for Montreal. When I did my first fitting I found that I had cut the dress too short. Oh dear. I wasn’t sure what to do. I thought about just adding more fabric to the end, but when I talked to Kristiann (teacher of our Knock it off, Underwear and Pattern Drafting classes) about it, she had the perfect suggestion. Kris’ idea was to randomly create miniature pleats along the bottom to create a slight bubble. To add some length to the hem, Kris recommended sewing a folded piece of fabric to the bottom edge and then ironing it down so that the final hem was self-finished. I really love this idea and to create a very slight contrast I used the ‘wrong’ side of the Liberty fabric for the hem trim. The printing on these Liberty of London Tana Lawns is so well done, on many of them it’s hard to figure out which is the ‘wrong’ side of the fabric.
My finishing touch was a sash, that I wore tied in the front.
After a bit of nail biting and obsessing, it really turned out just right. The perfect ‘summer chic’ dress for a wedding in the country.
22 comments
oh wow! it looks lovely! i couldn’t tell right away that the extra trim was the “wrong” side either
Lovely!!
oh – you just gonna make me want to go and sew, aren’t you? really very cute and i am loving the front sash!
What a beautiful dress!!! Great job!
Stunning! I love your solution to the length issue – it makes the dress for me!
gorgeous! and i love that it wasn’t planned from start to finish before you began.
I can say, from spending a day with this dress and the girl wearing it, that it’s hot. Like, Steve McQueen hot.
Fabulous! And after my japanese “too short” dress, perhaps this my solution, too! I’ve always wanted a bubble. I love your choice to do a v-neck back.
I have that book and dress M has never called to me. Until I saw your version, that is. A truly stunning job!
This turned out really well and I think it looks better than the one in the book. The print is really nice and I like what you did with the back. Nice work!
this is adorable. and i love the sash. just perfect.
Beautiful job.
I’m so glad you’re showing these alterations to the Stylish Dress Book patterns. I think they make the dresses much more wearable and flattering, and frankly, I wouldn’t have thought of them myself! I love Stylish Dress Book and all, but let’s face it, if you, yourself, are not IN Stylish Dress Book it can sometimes be hard to tell that you are wearing a Stylish Dress and not a mumu (okay, not really talking about you, but me). Very helpful.
Wow this dress looks just great! I have the two stylish dress books, you have given me some inspiration to actually get on and make something from them!
I can’t stop thinking about this dress!
I love the shape and the fabric… it was a really nice outfit for a summer wedding.
You are great! 🙂
This is such a wonderful book! Your dresses are beautiful.
Where can you purchase the book from. I live in the Uk and can’t seem to find it anywhere.
Thanks
aidan – i always buy my books from a seller on etsy. pomadour craft cafe. she has such a huge selection of books and wonderful service. i have never been disappointed. i hope you find some that you like!
I bought this fabric a few years ago at Purl in New York-the white/red/pink/navy combo. I agonized over what to make and settled for pillows as I didn’t but too much. That summer Nike came out with a sneaker with the same fabric!! It looks lovely as a dress-thanks for doing it for me!!
you can also get them from the UK based ‘m is for make’, http://www.misformake.co.uk/product/stylish-dress-book
This dress will be my next dress from that book.
Can I ask about the length? I’m cutting mine from marimekko fabric and i might be under the fabric requirements. When I see this dress on the model its below knee length but when you cut yours it was too short. Did you cut yours short on purpose thinking it didn’t need all that length or is the pattern piece itself quite short for your size. Im a size 2,4 USA and I’m just debating about size its true on the girls they look like mumus! Did you need to ale your bodice in at all to make it more form fitting or was the pattern size a perect fit?
Thanks so much!
Also did you attach the sash on the sides at all? If so how?