I know there are people who wear pants/shorts in the summer. Therefore needing matching/coordinating tops. I am not one of those people. I love a long flowing, swishy dress in the summer. From the moment I saw the Jules Tunic, I knew I was always going to make it as a summery maxi dress.
Besides adding 26" to the front and back flounce, lengthening the front facing and making short sleeves for the dress ~ those are literally the only changes I made to this pattern.
Supplies ~
Lemon rayon challis fabric purchased from StyleMaker Fabrics last year
10 7/8" clear with green inset buttons from the button stash
Interfacing from Steinlauf & Stoeller
Pattern Alterations ~
The only change I made to the pattern was to add length (26 inches) to the skirt front & back. I also lengthened the front facings to match.
Construction Information ~
I made this just as the pattern instructed. However, when I tried it on once the side seams were sewn because I'm a fit as you sew woman...
I noticed two things:
1. The lower back seam dipped too low into my behind.
2. I could sew the side seams at 1/2" instead of the 3/8" the pattern recommends.
- To fix the too low back seam, I measured out 1.5" in the center back pinned and tapered the pinning to the side seams.
- Then I basted it. After that I double checked that it raised the seam some.
- It's better but not great. I really need about another inch but I'm going with this alteration.
Next I repinned the gathers in and stitched it down. Then reassembled the dress. This is not perfect. The gathers and the fabric hide what's challenging me. When I make this again the front & back bodice pieces need to be altered.
Now I have to admit I made a mistake. If you look really carefully you will notice the side seams are a little wonky. They hang towards the back of the dress instead of hanging straight down the side. Wanna know why? Because I sewed the hemline of the back skirt to the back bodice. I discovered it AFTER I had sewn and serged the waist seam.
Talk about a sophomore mistake! This also affected the hang of the hemline! It took several tries and a day of letting it hang to get a halfway decent hem.
A Few Photos ~
Wearability Report ~
I'm now wearing some of my garments before blogging them. One because I haven't figured out where to take pictures in my apartment. I'm not happy with my options right now...and have no desire to do anything about it. *sigh* So I wore this dress to work a couple of weeks and noticed a few things:
1. The neckline is too low. I was constantly pulling it up so my bra wouldn't show.
2. It is the PERFECT combination of fit and loose fitting that you need on a hot summer day.
3. Even though I wasn't thrilled with the length it did work so much better being a little shorter than maxi length.
I did receive quite a few compliments on it and will make it again. I actually want to make a few of the tunic versions, as well as, another maxi dress or two. This will probably be a favored make next summer.
There are still items in my cut pile that need to be sewn before the cool weather rolls in. Oh and I'm calling this "My Lemon Dress!"
...as always more later!
