Vintage style dress : RTW Copy

Hello everyone,

I can hardly believe June is almost over and IPM is coming an end. This is one of my entries for the last challenge : RTW copy. Here is my picture of a fashion blogger outfit I have loved on Pinterest for years.

It was challenging finding out where this picture had come from as all the repins on Pinterest had no source. I eventually tracked it down to a fashion blogger @jxxsy  n IG and  found out that it was a vintage dress.

Armed with the info I needed I shopped the stash for a suitable fabric. I have had this medium weight cotton fabric for a long while now and thought the blue was a good enough fit. It has grey dragonflies among the white ones. Its such a lovely print…..a touch of the whimsical about it.

Cami shirt dress

I decided to use the Cami Dress by Pauline Alice patterns. I have had this in my stash since I saw Corrine Appleby’s gingham entry from last year’s IPM.

My first muslin, in size 36, was way too small though my measurements fit that. I went a size up to 38. That fit OK across the bust but I couldn’t raise my arms beyond 60 degrees. So I raised the armscye and reduced my seam allowance to 3/8″ and that did the trick. Other adjustments included:

1. Drafting a peter pan Collar. Pauline has got a sewalong to follow with a section on drafting a peter pan collar.The finished collar with pink floral bias  binding  makes for a quirky element.
2. I also raised front neckline by 1/4″ so the collar was just touching my neck.
3. I wanted to have a lovely fifties puff to the dirndl style skirt o counterbalance the gathered waist. A horsehair braid to the  the hem gives the dress a bit of the fifties style flare.
4. I made the belt using a belt kit.

In order to complete the outfit I wanted something in keeping with fifties style. My initial attempt at hacking a Sewaholic Renfrew top into a cardigan did not fit with this style. I decided a cute bolero was the way to go. Throughout this challenge I have been using stash items so I was very reluctant to buy a pattern or indeed fabric. Browsing through Pinterest I stumbled upon Sew So Easy patterns which have a lot of free patterns and one of them was for a shrug. I sewed it up in no time at all and I do really like it. I expect more of these stash busting cuties. There are only 3 seams to sew and I hemmed using a simple zigzag stitch. I went for french navy blue so I could create a monotone look. Pictures…..

I love this outfit. Its a cheery sort of outfit. I am so pleased with  it – its not a style I have tried before. Its a very comfortable shirt dress indeed!

Thank you so much for checking out my post!

Peace and love!

Hila

XOX