lavender love

I stepped  even further out of my comfort zone with this one.  This is the first time I have made an actual dress, without taking the top from an existing shirt.

(unless you count my Laurel project when I was 16.  But lets be honest, my mom did all the work.)
 

I used every single last scrap I had left of this awesome purpley-pink striped knit that I made my cardigan out of.  I would call this more of a test run than anything.  I didn't know if it would turn out how I pictured it in my head.  

I just laid down an existing sleeveless dress I had, pinned it to my fabric, and created my pattern from that.  I outlined each piece of the dress with a 1/2" s.a.  The original dress was a little more fitted around the bootay, and had a boat neck.  I changed mine to a scoop, and made it fitted at the top, but then had it flare out a little more at the bottom.  Knits aren't greatest at hiding things, so I didn't want to feel like the dress was suctioned to my body.

If you don't know how to sew, or know the basics but are interested in learning more, Merrick and I have created The Modern Girl's Guide to Sewing, online sewing courses that teach you everything you need to know about clothing construction. You can take our Beginner Course or our Intermediate Course, and learn how to follow tutorials like this one! Make sure to check out moderngirlsewing.com!

I knew I wanted rouched sleeves, so I took a shirt I had with ruched sleeves, stretched out the sleeve, and traced it as best I could onto pattern paper.  To get the ruching effect, I just stretched out some thin elastic along the middle of the sleeve, and sewed it to the seam allowance.  

bag: anthropologie, shoes: Enzio Angolini, jewlery: forever 21