Made by a Fabricista: Seersucker Take Two

Vogue 8968 is a pretty simple loose fitting handkerchief hem dress pattern. It includes two views, but if you look closely you'll notice that the envelope illustrations don't match the flat drawings. So I'll just say you have the option of colorblocking, adding sleeve bands and adding a split neck. I chose to sew the standard neck and add the sleeve bands. With just a few pattern pieces to deal with (front and back, facings, hem bands and optional sleeve bands) the whole dress comes together quickly. I sewed it in one evening!

Instead of colorblocking I chose to play with the grain of the fabric. The main body was cut on the grain while the sleeve bands and hem bands were cut on the crosswise grain. This adds some interest as the dress has horizontal stripes and the bands have vertical stripes.

I do wish this fabric had more drape so the overall look would be more fluid, but the stiffness gives the dress more of an architectural look which I like as well. Currently Fabric Mart has this sapphire and white poly cotton seersucker here and a vertical peach and white cotton seersucker (here) in stock. Grab some if you want to knock out one more summer project this year! I'd also recommend a challis which would have a softer look, see what is is stock here.

I'm having a hard time thinking about saying goodbye to summer. Thankfully I live in the south (US) so I'll have enough time to wear this a few times before I put it away until next year. I think I can eek out one more summer-ish look for September before I move on to my fall sewing.

Tiffany

TipStitched