Tag Archives: dress

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MIIMII DRESS

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This is kind of amazing. I finished this dress, wore it to a party, took pictures, and got it posted all in one day!

purple Hawaiian shift dress, made by Julianne

purple Hawaiian shift dress, made by JulianneThis picture makes it look like the wind was blowing my hair to the side, but that’s just how I wear it nowadays.

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purple Hawaiian shift dress, made by Julianne

At the end of the party I smashed my thumb in a door, and wound up taking home an old-fashioned glass filled with ice because it hurt so much. There’s some discoloration and it’s sore, but luckily no major damage! Anyway, that’s why I’m holding my thumb in this picture.

purple Hawaiian shift dress, made by Julianne

I used Simplicity 3835, which is an out-of-print Built by Wendy pattern. Luckily I was able to borrow it from a lady in my sewing group, which has inspired a pattern tracing party to be held next week (and I can’t wait!). Thank you for the pattern Jill!

My step-sister-in-law got the purple fabric in Hawaii years ago (same as with my bathrobe). It’s a mid-weight cotton with fabulous drape. The orange collar was cut from a scrap of my wedding skirt, and the gold/blue trim was in my stash. In fact, the only new material for the dress was the $.50 zipper.

purple Hawaiian shift dress, made by Julianne

I’m really smitten by the orange/violet combination. I was inebriated when I made the original decision, and second-guessed myself a couple times while sewing. I’m so glad I trusted myself! So far I’ve only worn it during the day, but the colors are so luminous in the sunlight.

purple Hawaiian shift dress, made by Julianne purple Hawaiian shift dress, made by Julianne

My version was originally inspired by Kristin’s chic dress, although I made many modifications to the pattern. The biggest change was that I lowered the neckline by drafting a new collar (I made a muslin of the whole dress first). Since the neck was lowered, there was less excess fabric to be gathered, which I might add back in if I make this pattern again. Instead of the back side darts I shaped the zipper seam, and added darts to the front. My pockets are slightly gathered at the bottom.

simplicity 3835, made by Julianne simplicity 3835, made by Julianne

Here’s my muslin with the original neckline. The picture on the right shows the original pattern piece (in yellow) and my wider collar (in white). I wound up shortening the collar piece to 1.5″ finished.

I cut the longer length for the dress, but wound up shortening it a few inches. This is definitely the shortest length I’m comfortable with, but I think that since I’m so covered up at the arms and chest that this dress needs to be short to keep its edge.

I finished all seams with bias tape, cut from a random polyester in my fabric cabinet (and also used on my Cool Contrast tee). I also made a belt, with orange stripes. I’m not sure if I prefer the dress to hang loose or to wear it with the belt. The belt has a tendency to create the illusion of a belly pouch…

purple Hawaiian shift dress, made by Julianne purple Hawaiian shift dress, made by Julianne

Now I’ve jumped on the shift dress bandwagon! It’s not the Laurel pattern, but it’s still the sewing-world trend. I’ll definitely be playing with this silhouette more, with raglan and set-in sleeves.

purple Hawaiian shift dress, made by Julianne

I’m calling it a miimii because, when it was on a hanger before the side seams were sewn, my husband asked “what’s up with that muumuu you’re making?” And since it’s smaller than a muumuu it must be a miimii.

I wore it to my husband’s stepmother’s 75th birthday party in Malibu today, which just happened to be Hawaiian themed. It was extra perfect because it was her oldest daughter who had given me the fabric, and had planned the party.

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GALACTIC COTTON CANDY DRESS

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This hand-made tie dye looks like a cotton candy nebula, which is exactly what I wanted. The vintage fabric was gifted from a friend of my husband’s family, and there was just barely enough to make this reverse pleated dress. It’s a lightweight cotton, and I love that the colors hide all those unsnipped threads and potential little stains.

Galactic Cotton Candy dress, made by Julianne

The teal rayon was from my grandma’s fabric collection, so the only material purchased for this dress was the pattern ($5.40) and the zipper (~$3). Stash busted!

I started this dress one afternoon, wore it sleeveless and unhemmed to dinner that night, and finished it the next day. It was a great non-traditional Christmas dress, and I can’t wait to wear it for a bike ride!

Galactic Cotton Candy dress, made by Julianne

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About the pattern (Burda #108B). I rarely use patterns, and find it difficult to follow someone else’s instructions. But I managed to make a dress that pretty closely resembles the original. The reason for the teal stripe is that I didn’t have enough of my tie dye, or so I thought, because it turned out that the pattern is huge! Following my measurements, I cut out a size 40/42, adding seam allowances. I had to remove about 8″ from the pleats and side seam (which was more towards the front of my body). I was able to do some shaping through the pleats, which are designed as unflattering straight lines on the pattern. Also, the back gaped horribly at the top. I lowered the sleeve cap and added some width to the back shoulder. Aesthetic changes are fine, but I was surprised at how many changes this pattern required for a comfortable fit.

Galactic Cotton Candy dress, made by Julianne Galactic Cotton Candy dress, made by Julianne

I thought about leaving the dress sleeveless, because it fit so nicely and looked great, but in the end I’m really glad that I added sleeves. And I’m proud that I was able to get such a great fit with the woven sleeves!

The seams are finished on my serger, and I trimmed the pleats with pinking shears. The pattern calls for leaving the folds untrimmed, but there was so much extra fabric in there!

Galactic Cotton Candy dress, made by Julianne Galactic Cotton Candy dress, made by Julianne

Aesthetically, I extended the pleats about 1.5″, so that the fullness was released at my hips rather than natural waist. Obviously there is that teal inset, which was functionally inspired but I totally love now. I lowered the neckline in front and back, replaced the facings with bias tape, tapered those dumb bell sleeves, and added the contrast band to the much shorter hem. Also, of course, pockets!

Galactic Cotton Candy dress Burda #108b Galactic Cotton Candy dress, made by Julianne

The pattern reminded me of Mad Men fashion, mostly Allison’s gorgeous party dress.

I was concerned about covering too much skin and looking frumpy or juvenile, but I also didn’t want to show too much skin or look too Molly Ringwald (not that she’s a skank, but I don’t want to dress like the decade I was born in). Luckily my husband was on hand to help me with design decisions, and it turned out great!

I made these stockings too, from a luxurious silk jersey. I’d cut a dress out of the fabric, but never felt passionate enough to actually sew it together, and so I cannibalized the dress for some new stockings in my favorite color.

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STRIPE SACK DRESS

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This dress actually started off as a shirt that was cut a little long, and then I decided to add the horizontal band to the bottom. I’d never worn (or was interested in) a sack dress before, but I feel pretty chic and easy when I wear it. Although I feel it works best with these wedge heels, and I very rarely wear anything but flats. So it’s a date-night dress, and I kinda like having something a little special for special times.

stripe sack dress

This dress pattern is designed for striped jersey, and except for the contrast bands, the dress is all one piece. The back, sleeves, and front piece is shaped sort of like a Y, and the only seams are at the center front and at the sides. It’s extremely comfortable to wear, and I always feel elegant with all those stripes running across my body and meeting in a perfect V at the front. Needless to say, this pattern took a few tries to develop and I’m pretty proud of it.

stripe sack dress stripe sack dress

stripe sack dress stripe sack dress

Jason took these pictures at Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. We went to see Smoke and Mirrors, which I designed costumes for. The magic show will be running in SM for a few more weeks, and then will move to the Road Theater in January, so check it out!

stripe sack dressWhen I submitted my bio for the playbill I used Dodds as my last name, but my ad is for Julianne Siadek since that was after the wedding. Nice that they were on the same page!

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