Tutorial: make your own dropped waist dress!

Would you like to make your own dropped waist dress? It was very simple indeed! Just follow the simple steps below:

1. Find a dress pattern that you like, preferably a princess seamed one (as darts may be harder to shorten) without a waistline seam. If you are struggling, perhaps give Simplicity 2146 a go? I would recommend using a tried and tested/toiled pattern for this, as you know how well it fits and how long the finished length is. 

2. Determine where you want the "dropped waist" to be on your body.

3. Shorten the pattern pieces accordingly, remembering to leave the length for the seam allowance. If in doubt, leave longer rather than shorter. 

4. Make up the short dress/long bodice according to the altered pattern from step 3, without inserting the zipper. 

5. Cut out a rectangle for the skirt piece – the size for this will depend on how long and how full you want the dress to be. For reference, my rectangle was 150cm x 30cm, but do bear in mind that I'm quiet short - you are likely to need a wider piece. 

6. Gather the long edge of the rectangle evenly to fit the bottom of the long bodice from step 4. 

7. Attach 4 and 6 with right sides together for the full length, leaving the centre back seams open.

8. Insert zipper - I used a lapped zipper, but you are free to pick your own! 

And that’s it! You’ll have your very own dropped waist dress! Do feel free to shout if you have any questions!

Touch of pink dropped waist dress

Update -- make your own dropped waist dress following this simple tutorial here!

Whilst my Singer 8280 is taking some time out to be cured (hopefully!), I have been keeping up my sewing activities with my Singer 99k, and have really enjoyed getting to know this beauty from 1957 (a separate post on this later). For now, here's my latest creation:

I have a soft spot for dropped waist dresses, especially those with a semi-fitted waistline (I do like the baggy type, too, but generally more on other people). So when I snapped up this cute polka dot stretchy cotton, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. It's quiet a thick material, much thicker than the stuff I used for the old favourites dress and my Alma blouse, so would be perfect in providing the structure that is needed for the desired effect of the skirt. 

I've called the dress "touch of pink", as the polka dots are actually in a very pale shade of pink. You probably can't see this from the photos, but they do just make the fabric that little bit "softer". I love it!

I used Simplicity 2146 (remember my last version?) as a base pattern, as I like how it fitted, as well as the princess lines. I chopped off the bottom of the skirt and replaced it with a gathered skirt. 

I made quiet a narrow hem, and used a lapped zipper. Instead of the actual facing, of course I used my favourite single-fold bias tape technique. And this had to be in a pale pink, too. There are no photos of the inside of this dress, as I'm too embarrassed to show you the inside... as it's not yet finished! I'm waiting for my Singer 8280 to come back before finishing the seams. But the outside of the dress looks good, right? ;)  

That said, my lovely 99k has been instrumental in helping me with this wonderful little project. I approve! 

Honeymoon round up - Part 3 - DIY wardrobe

Alight, thank you for indulging me with all the honeymoon posts and photos. I promise that this will be the last one, and will also actually contain something sewing-related... 

It's my DIY honeymoon wardrobe - in action photos! I was really pleased to have worn a number of my handmade items on this trip (though I brought a few more, like my daisy dress, for example). 

At the lu'au in my turquoise shift dress (Simplicty 2146) 

In my upcycled shirred dress

By the "dragon teeth" in my Little Lisette Traveler (I have only just realised that the spelling of "traveler" with just the one r on the pattern - how very ignorant of me to have completely looked past this and written an entire blog post spelling "traveller" a hundred times previously!) - it was rather windy!

In my pullover beach cover up top on the beach (Vogue 8278)

On the beach again in my heirloom top 

In San Fran, I also wore my very latest Sew for Victory top but I didn't get any snaps taken as 1) it was completely covered by my jacket and scarf 2) after all that travelling and lack of sleep, I was not feeling particularly photogenic. 

There is also of course the little romper (Mccalls 6331), which you will have seen already earlier this week. 

And finally, there was another beach cover up - a kaftan - let's save that for next time :) 

Simplicity 2146

It's a Sunday double-bill! 

This is my latest creation, and the beginning of my attempt to build my honeymoon wardrobe - did I tell you that we are going to NYC and Hawaii in less than FOUR WEEKS time? I can't wait to get away, not just from my busy and stressful work at the moment but also from the grey weather here - In fact, I had been waiting for a sunny day to photograph this dress, but that day just never came, as yet!

I used Simplicity 2146, yet another Project Runway pattern. I love it! Its simple princess lines are so elegant, and it was such a quick project to make. All in all it took me less than a day, which I am pretty happy about. 

 A few firsts for me: 

1. Working with a linen blend - it's a linen and viscose blend (55%/45% I think) that I bought from the remnant bin from Decorative Cloth for about £5 during one of my trips to Leamington! Although I would too often skip the preshrinking step, I decided to wash and press this fabric first as linen is famous for its bad behaviour. It was a dream to work with - no complaints whatsoever! It is prone to creasing during wear, but I think this is somewhat mitigated by the viscose in the fabric. 
2. Lapped zipper - This is my first lapped zipper! It was easy enough to make, thanks to the Dressmaker's Technique Bible. I can proudly say that I have now done 4 types of zippers - centred dress zipper, invisible, handpicked and lapped :D
3. Vent - This was also straight forward, but I am pleased to have ticked another thing off my learning list. 

Overall I found the pattern very easy to make, and it has a great basic design, as well as a number of interesting optional details. I only made 3 minor changes:

1. Petite adjustment on the bodice, and also shortening the skirt by a rather lot (as well as having a very wide hem)
2. I finished the neckline and armholes with a thin, contrasting bias tape
3. Instead of the hook and eye, I added a button and bias tape button loop at the top of the zipper. 

I am happy with the result! I'm planning on wearing this on its own:

... and teamed with this jacket, the colour of which complements the bias tape detail on the dress: