Summer Dress--If you can't find one, make one!

Last year I searched and searched for the perfect summer dress. Nope. Nothing. I've been looking all year, every time I'm in the stores or online, but zip! Then I came across the blog Sew Can Do.

I really liked the look of this dress style. Simple and summery. Her dress was made using a free download from another site. It was petite and I'm tall so I searched for a pattern for me.

This is the pattern I chose and I did view B which is sleeveless and knee length.

I loved this Swirly Girls fabric called Floral Fancy when I saw it in Lindarella's Quilt Works, in NC so I bought all she had (about 6 yards.)

First I made a muslin practice piece and it didn't fit!! Help!! I drove to my friend, Sandy A., who is a genius with clothing. She helped me tweak the muslin dress. That muslin dress was unusable (too small) so I had to go back and make another muslin dress. Then I made new pattern pieces on Parchment Paper and cut out the new muslin dress. It still didn't fit great so back to Sandy I went. Yay, she tweaked it again so I made the changes to the muslin and it worked. I made the same changes to the pattern and cut out my new summer dress. 

Instead of having 7 bodice pieces and 7 skirt pieces (like the pattern had), Sandy suggested we make the pieces continuous and eliminate the waist seam.

To make the muslin dress be the lining (eliminating facings) I needed to figure out how to do that.

I remember doing it with doll clothes so I pulled out the doll clothes directions.

Just to make sure, before sewing the real deal, I cut a quick little mock dress and muslin lining to practice on, just to make sure I had the sequence right.

After sewing the 2 dresses together I sewed (quilted) the seams (pressed open) with my favorite quilting stitch.

To finish the hem, I used binding like any good quilter would do. I really don't sew clothing--ever.

Putting the zipper in this dress was tricky but do-able only because I make so many zipper purses, pouches etc., that I'm comfortable doing zippers. I did this one sandwich style: Iron a 3/8" hem on the front and muslin up and down both sides where the zipper would go, then slide the zipper between them and sew by topstitching all 3 together at once.

This would look cute with a red or black belt.

Doesn't look like much on the hanger but I do fill it out well.

I'm pleased with it. Now the question is, can I do it again? I have the pattern pieces that fit ME so you'd think it could be done. 

Next time I find a fabric that I love or would love to wear, I might try.

See lots of other Friday Finishes at Crazy Mom Quilts.