The Pink Dress
It’s Pink Week over at the Sew Weekly. Er, that is, the theme is Tickled Pink. Now, I’m not a Sew Weekly participant/contributor. I do occasionally enjoy sewing along when a theme happens to coincide with something in my mental queue, but I’m rarely in touch enough to figure out what theme is when, except as other bloggers happen to mention it. And, obviously, I’m not actually sewing along this time.
Pink Stuff
But this fabric landed in my stash the other week, and while I doubt I’ll sew it up any time soon (barring a sudden onslaught of cocktail parties), it’s just screaming to be made into the ultimate little pink dress. The colour in real life is a pale baby pink, not quite what either image is showing, but maybe closer to the top one. It’s the oddest embroidered poly satin; it’s like it’s backed with a thin knit web that gives the embroidery an almost quilted look from (what I presume is) the right side. The embroidery pattern is paisley. I love paisley. This is yet another example of how I go nuts for texture.
Bodice A
I’m not quite sure what pattern in stash might be suitable for adapting into this. The bodice of view A from Simplicity 5549 might work, but the skirt is too A-line. The skirt from 6750 has more of the right shape, but has more seams than I think I want.
New Look 6750
Or maybe I could adapt the Collette Handbook Pastille Pattern to a sundress-type thing. Hmm.
The rear flounce and little collar-thingy wouldn’t be too difficult to add. I love the look of those rear flouncies, and also it might prevent me from totally destroying the cute pegged skirt when I forget myself and start taking stairs two at a time. Although I’m doubtful I’d have enough fabric to make it from the same fabric. Pink chiffon might be in order.
*shudder*
My drawing kind of implies that the waist slants up a bit in the front, going from true waist at the back to a touch of an empire line in front. It looks cute in the drawing—not sure how that would work in real life.
Thanks for bearing with me on the fantasy sewing. What are you fantasizing about today?
Tanit-Isis Sews 
Fab fabric and seriously cute design. It would look great on you.
I’m just fantasy sewing in general at the moment. After blazing in the sewing room last week, I haven’t even managed to trace the pattern I pulled over the weekend. Erg.
LOL! Well, you just finished your SWAP as well as all that kid sewing… I think you’re entitled to a little break 🙂
I love your drawing! I don’t remember seeing your drawings here before. Is this a talent that you have been keeping hidden from us. I would love to see more drawings like this!
Aww, thanks! There are a few stashed around the blog… if you click the “drawing” tag at the bottom of the post it should take you to most of them.
And you have the drawing skills to represent your fantasy too? I’m thinking about a breezy white blouse.
Mmm, nice. There’s a couple of blouse patterns on my radar, if I can ever get past this DRESDRESSDRESS thing…
In Claire Schaeffers first Couture Sewing book, there is an photo of a couture dress that has a similar waist seam to your drawing. Unfortunately I can’t find the $%#& book right now. When I do I will scan it and email you a copy.
Cool! I tried to look in the online preview, but looks like that page isn’t available. Glad to know I’m not completely on crack. 🙂
I can’t find it, now I am wondering if it really was in that book so I am checking some other books, but I have a lot. Like around 150 of them, it could take a while, but I promise I will keep looking.
You have a picture of a little red polka dot sundress from New Look in one of your fantasy sewing posts, I bet if you pegged the skirt portion of it and put in your flouncy-thing in the back it’d be pretty darn close to what you’re looking for with minimal tweaking. I also love paisley, but I always figured that a) made me a complete dork, and b) was because I am a displaced country girl. It’s always good to see things that I like reinforced by people way cooler than me. 😉
That’s a possibility, although it’s got princess seams which I was hoping to avoid for this make. It is a super-cute sundress, though.
It does? Weird. I would not have guessed that…
Oh, what a great drawing! I love it! The bodice has a few elements of the new Colette Pattern Lily – at the neckline.
Yes, it does (in my defense, I was using that collar-like feature all the way last summer! 😉 )
Fitting Colette patterns is such a headache for me, though…
you’ve done it again, 1 little bitty sketch and DAMN i WANT that dress!! funnily enough i just got some fuchsia fabric which might need to be made into something adorable inspired by your drawing…
Ooo, that would be cool! It would be totally hilarious if you made a dress based on this drawing before I did…
Your sketch is so pretty! And I love the fabric too – it would be perfect for that dress.
Fantasy sewing right now = anything for summer but not for skating. Now that my competition dresses are sewn I want to get back to regular sewing. Unfortunately I agreed to sew a bunch of costumes for other people (our club got a new uniform design for official practice sessions this year… a bit last minute and no one has time to sew them). I thought about saying no, but it is a bit hard to turn down the money. And, I mean, I LIKE sewing skating costumes. I just really really want to make something for ME.
Thanks!
Yeah, I would have a hard time turning down sewing for money… fortunately the situation hasn’t come up much. The kids’ dance studio seems to have their costume sourcing figured out sans parent input (other than $$$, anyway)
adorable dress!!
I’m fantasizing about my wedding dress.
Found a vintage (or modest Mennonite), handmade, wedding dress at MCC last week. 🙂 Have to get the back altered a bit to fit, but otherwise fits like it was made for me.
What a cool find! My mom made her wedding “dress” (really a blouse and skirt) but they were so boring and in awful 70s polyester doubleknit. I find some pretty great stuff at the MCC thrift in S’toon… if I were you I’d be stalking the Vintage Pattern Wiki trying to figure out what pattern it was made from… 🙂
What a gorgeous drawing. Seriously gorgeous. Pegged skirts + godets = very easy to wear.
It’s so pretty! Make it now now now! 😉
Yeah, right after all my other “nownownow!”s. /sigh.
Thanks! 🙂
I’m in awe of your drawing skills! I hope your fantasy dress comes to life because it’s really pretty!
Thanks! I hope so too… someday. 😉
Your drawings are amazing… and I love your design! I’m especially giddy about the rear flounce…
So often I have ideas in my head that I cannot convey on paper… I wonder if this is a skill I could learn… at least some degree… or if those without the natural talent are simply out of luck… 🙂
Thank you! I love the rear flounce. It always makes me squee when I see something like that on the back of an otherwise plain skirt…
Hmm. My suggestion would be to get a croquis (a template of a body, designed to be traced over and clothes drawn on top). Some downloadable, printout ones are:
http://fashionary.org/downloads/
http://www.designersnexus.com/design/free-fashion-croquis-templates/
Or you can make your own from a photo, there’s loads of tutorials for that.
And then start out re-drawing clothes you like from Polyvore or Pinterest or wherever. Get a sense of how different fabrics and cuts fold and drape, practice copying different style elements you like, until you can recombine them in your own unique ways. You don’t need to be a master to convey the basic sense of the style elements you’d like. 🙂
Your drawing is amazing. I LOVE the back of the skirt! So, um, when are you going to turn this into reality? As for my fantasy sewing, I’ve 2 garments running around my brain. A lace A-line shift dress with a deep scoop neckline and 3/4 sleeves (something I saw in a window as I was driving by and obviously not paying attention to my car – WOW LOOK AT THAT DRESS with a craned neck), and the second, which I’d really really REALLY like to put to a try is a knock-off of this $16,000 McQueen dress. You can see it here: http://pinterest.com/pin/212935888601878104/ I have some metallic crinkle silk that would work perfectly……. Well, I can sew amazing things in my fantasy sewing room!
Reality? Um, best guess, not before next winter ;). By which time I may have thought better of the idea. No promises. But at least this way I have the design documented and I won’t just forget…
That McQueen dress is gorgeous! Well, if anyone can replicate it, it’s you—you make some pretty phenomenal gowns. 🙂
I love your sketch. I actually have a dress with ties that are attached to the front at about an empire waist, and I like to tie them low so they fall at my waist in the back. It’s a really flattering line, and I’ve been thinking about making a dress with a sloping waistline. It could definitely work!
I’m pretty sure that New Look 6002 has the skirt shape you want. Not the sloping waistline, but the general shape. It would just be a matter of inserting flounces into the back slit — easy peasy! In fact, I have a copy of 6002 I can send to you if you give me your address….I cut the pieces apart but never cut them out because I realized I hate straight skirts on dress.
As for my fantasy sewing, I have a knit top cut out that I have yet to get to because a Greek soldier costume for Middlest is taking priority right now. We also have a birthday party this weekend so I’m expecting very little time to sew.
I love your sketch and the fabric, especially the color. Just like the first dress I sewed, you should create an occasion to wear the dress and celebrate its completion!