I bought this fabric from Marcy Tilton last year. It was a subscriber special that was so beautiful I couldn't leave it. I hadn't seen anything like it before. So, I bought it even though I wasn't sewing much because I knew it wouldn't last.
There are a lot of pictures in this post both for construction and finished shots. One, this dress turned out so much better than I imagined it! Two, I wanted to memorialize the construction for future me.
That eyelet embroidered floral cotton became this...
Yes, another Myosotis dress but the first one in my smaller size. I know it's late in the year to be making a cotton eyelet dress but we still have a few more days of 80 degree days. Also, the darker floral print makes it perfect for late summer/early fall wearing.
Supplies...
4 yards of a cotton printed eyelet from Marcy Tilton
10 clear/purple buttons from my M&J Trimmings button hauls
1 - 11/16" gold snap originally purchased from Fabric Mart via the snap stash
Baby knit interfacing via the interfacing stash originally purchased from Farmhouse Fabrics
Several yards of beige Snug Hug rayon seam binding
Decision Making ~
- Sewing eyelet fabric is always interesting because of the eyelets.
- I used a smaller stitch length - 2.5 on my Janome to make sure I had enough stitches per inch to hold the seams together so they didn't separate.
- Then I did sewing machine and serger thread tests to match the threads as closely as possible to the background fabric.
- I also did a fusible interfacing vs. silk organza test to see which one I liked best for the collar, undercollar and button bands. The fusible interfacing won.
- Seam finishing was very important to me because I didn't want serged edges to show through the eyelet. I went with an enclosed or french seams on the skirt and bodice side seams.
- For the button bands, sleeve and skirt hems I enclosed them using hug snug hem tape. I thought about using the snug hug on the finished waist band seam. It wasn't necessary and gave up the idea because the serged waistband seam was enough. It also did not show through the dress.
- I did serge the sleeve underarm seam because who is going to see it. I also serged the armhole seam. I didn't think I would be comfortable with the snug hug seam binding on the armhole edges.
- I also used the button band sample below to make a couple of sample buttonholes so I could see how the fabric took to the buttonholes or if I would need to come up with another idea.
Here is a photo of all the samples I made before I started to sew...
There are no new construction techniques in this dress. However, here are a few construction photos of making the bodice:
There are a lot of "couture" techniques to make the dress sturdy on the inside. I also hand sewed the sleeve and skirt hems. It allowed me to hide the stitches in the fabric. The clean finishing on the inside was important to me because of the fabric.
Here are a few photos of the finished dress...
One more thing to note - I'm wearing a beige colored slip from Spanx underneath the dress. That's why you can't see anything from the eyelet holes.
Now that my sewjo is back and chomping at the bit to create, I have so many things I want to make for fall/winter. For my next project I was supposed to start another fall dress but that project probably has been pushed until next spring.
I'm also removing items from my closet. Garments that are too big for me now but I'm loath to donate them. What happens if I gain the weight back? Then I'm starting all over again. Luckily I was to lazy to donate my smaller sized garments and now I have them all to wear again. So while I'm removing the others, they sit in limbo.
I have two more posts after this one. A vest that I've mentioned before and a white border print shirt that I can't wait to wear. I'm working on a shirt that I've stopped and started several times for various reasons but I KNOW it's time has come. So that's what's on my sewing table. What's on yours?
...as always more later!
