Made By A Fabricista: Two Late Summer Dresses in Bold Stylized Prints

Hello Sewing Friends! Sharon here with my latest Fabricista make, two dresses that will transition into fall.

You probably noticed I didn’t choose traditional autumn prints or colors. I planned to, but just couldn’t bring myself to think about cool weather colors and fabrics when the temperatures were still over 100 degrees F. Instead, I decided to sew a couple of late summer dresses that I can wear when the temps begin to dip into the 80s.

The first is a maxi shirt dress sewn out of this amazing rayon twill. Oh, the drape on this one is divine! The stylized white hearts really pop against the black background. Even though the print is bold, the colors are classic making it easy to accessorize with any color. My big puppy like to hang close to me when I take photos, but she accessorizes well with whatever I’m wearing 😊

The pattern is the Style Arc Anais Dress. I’ve had my eye on this pattern for some time just waiting for the perfect fabric. Now that I’ve sewn the dress, I want to sew a dozen more. Luckily Fabric Mart carries a huge selection of fabrics, such as shirting, linen, or even a baby wale corduroy - that would work well for this shirt dress. Just make sure the fabric has movement or this dress will be boxy looking.

Another thing I really like about this dress is the versatility. It works great with jewelry and heels, a ballcap and sneakers, or even as a shirt partially buttoned and paired with jeans.

I prewashed the fabric using cold water on a gentle cycle. It was then tossed in the dryer on low heat. It came out beautifully, with minimal wrinkles. Per the instructions, interfacing is optional, but I added some to the collar as well as the front bands to support the buttons and buttonholes. By the way, Fabric Mart carries the Palmer and Pletsch brand of interfacing, which is one of my favorites.

A few changes were made to the pattern. I did a full bust adjustment with a dart, eliminated the breast pocket, and added two inches to the overall length. The bottom finishes with a traditional curved hemline with the back slightly longer than the front. Oh, and it has big pockets!

For my other dress I chose stylized floral double brushed knit and sewed a completely different look.

The bold colors and stylized print gave me a 1970s vibe. So much so that I planned to sew a knit dress using a vintage 70s pattern. Alas, I couldn’t find my pattern and had to come up with another plan. Now that I’ve sewn my knit dress, I just know that vintage 70s pattern will magically reappear in my sewing space.

I chose Simplicity 9140, because the longer view had an interesting side drape feature. Although I’m sure your eagle eyes have already noticed that my dress is short and does not have that side drape feature.

Here’s the deal. When I was ready to hem the dress, I did my final try on to check the length and looked in the mirror and my heart sank. It was quite unflattering, not at all what I envisioned in my head. So, I grabbed my fabric scissors and cut about six inches off using the shorter skirt length line on the pattern as my guide.

I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but it passed the hubby “that’s cute!” me-made dress test. I’ve already worn it multiple times as it’s just as comfy as shorts and a tee but much more stylish! And yes, it does indeed have pockets.

Until next time, Happy Sewing!

SHARON | @thesharonsews