26.5 Dresses in 2011 (Pic Heavy)

Do you remember the movie "27 Dresses" starring Katherine Heigl?  I kinda feel that way writing a title 26.5 dresses in 2011.  Yes, I made 26 dresses this year.  I do have a dress that just needs sleeves for it to be complete which is why I called it a half.  I truly believe that it will be finished soon...if not before the last day of the year...so I've included it.


As sewists, we all have garments that we prefer not only sewing but wearing, mine happens to be a dress.  I'd rather wear a dress than anything else as proven by the fact that I've made 27 of them this year or a little more than two each month.  So without further ado, here they are in chronological order...


The first dress of 2011 was:

The DVF Inspired Dress

2.  Michael Kors Inspired Dress

I'd had this idea for a dress for quite some time and a lucky fabric buy brought it to fruition.  However, I just recently updated it by removing the sleeves.  They were a little tight and the dress wears fine as sleeveless with a cardigan.


3.  The Versace Inspired Dress

This one was inspired by a magazine picture that I saw on the way to my corporate retreat.  It was a pretty involved journey but such satisfying sewing and very rewarding.


4.  Vogue 1250 - Version 1

When I first made used this pattern, I wrote in my review on PR that I probably wouldn't make it again...I went on to make it 5 more times! *LOL*  This was the dress of the year for me!


5. Playing with a border print knit

This dress is made from my TNT dress pattern using a border print knit. It is the beginning of a lot of sewing with knits this year.


6.  The second version of Vogue 1250

I got the knit fabric sewing bug and I altered the pattern pieces to have side seams, so I made it again!


7.  3x the charm

That's what I titled this third version of V1250. It was made to wear to church on Mother's Day.


8.  A Knit Dress Palooza

Yeah I was on a roll...making knit dress after knit dress.  This one was totally inspired by the fabric from Elliot Berman and made from my TNT dress pattern.


9.  Butterick 5600

This dress was also inspired by a great piece of fabric from Elliot Berman.  And even though it was an easy sew the dress has been worn only once because of bad button placement.


10.  Christine Jonson's Princess Seam Dress

This was one of my top 5 dresses of 2011.  Like I said I've admired CJ's patterns but never really thought they would work for me...this one proved me wrong and I will make it again!


11. Vogue 1250 in a border print

This is version #4 of Vogue 1250.  I was seriously digging this pattern this year!


12.  Polka Dot Madness

This dress is a Connie Crawford pattern ~ Butterick 5620.  It didn't make up well and after two wearings it truly is a fail...but I love the polka dot border print fabric...*sigh*


13.  A Little Bias

I really wanted a woven version of my favorite knit dress (V1250) so I chose Butterick 3195 an out of print pattern to use with a silk crepe and came up with this dress.  It wore sooooooo well during the hot and humid days of summer.


14.  Another Donna Karan stunner...

...or Vogue 1179.  This is another knit dress that turned out to be a winner!


15.  The Rachel Dress

Another dress that makes my Top 5.  It is a mash-up of Vogue 1247 and my TNT dress pattern.  I loved having the pockets in my dress, a really kewl feature!


16.  A Linen Summer Shift

This is a casual summer shift from Butterick 5618 for summer weekend wear.


17.  A Wearable Muslin

This dress was made from an ITY knit using an out of print Vogue 9245.  I was on a roll making knit dresses.  The final dress was pretty but didn't wear well...but I think that next summer I will wear it with different foundation garments to change the wearing issues that bugged me.


18.  Vogue 1250 Maxi-mized 

Version #5 of Vogue 1250 was a maxi version with an enhanced cowl neckline, it was a fantastic dress worn several times to weekend events.


19.  Jason Wu Lace Inspired Dress

For my September Sewcation, I decided to sew Designer Inspired dresses.  This was the first one of the series.


20.  Heidi M. Inspired Dress

I saw this dress on The Selfish Seamstress's blog and immediately knew I wanted one.  This one made my Top 5 dresses list too because it was just so kewl to wear!


21.  Mixed Fabrications Dress inspired by Dries van Noten

Mixed Fabrications was big in Dries van Noten's Fall Collection for 2011.  I loved what he did but need to corporatize it to wear to my job.  This was my version of his mixed fabrications idea.


22.  Fabric Inspired Dress

I was and still am in love with Salvatore Ferragamo's Fall Collection for 2011. So this dress is from my TNT pattern and totally inspired by the herringbone fabric used in the Ferragamo collection.


23.  Another Vogue 9245

I made this up in a purple ponte knit and it just worked so well.  Will definitely be making this one again!


24.  Vogue 8764

I liked the empire waistline on this dress.  Again I used a ponte knit for this dress especially since ponte knits have become my new fabric obsession.


25.  A Vogue 1250 LBD

Yes, this was my 6th version of this dress pattern (and truly I want a 7th with long sleeves).  The dress just works.  It was the dress I wore to my job's Holiday Party!


26. Leather and Knit - McCalls 6395

Leather and fabric combinations were hot this fall.  I combined some faux leather with ponte knit to make this dress.  Another great transition dress!


Dress number 26.5:
Is McCalls 6460.  The body of the dress is finished, it just needs sleeves.  I need to finish it before the end of the year, I just don't know if I will.


So a recap:
~ I made quite a few dresses this year using knit fabrics.  This is definitely a first for me.


~ I made Vogue 1250 six times...in a border print, maxi-mized, as a little black dress and I would like to make a 7th version in 2012.


~ I used ten new patterns from several different pattern companies including one independent pattern company.


~ Even though my TNT dress pattern was used in quite a few of these dresses, it wasn't used as much as in former years.


My top five dresses for this year are:
Vogue 1250, The Versace Inspired Dress, The CJ Princess Seam Dress, The Rachel Dress and the Heidi M. Inspiration Dress.


I know that dresses will feature predominantly in 2012 because there are three from McCalls Spring 2012 collection that I'm already drooling over.  They are, McCalls 6504, McCalls 6506 and McCalls 6518.


...as always, more later!