Summer Dress

Ah Summer! Dress

Ah Summer is definitely here! I don’t go by the calendar when it is already reaching upper 90s. It counts. So I made myself a new summer dress.

I inherited this fabric and kept it stashed for a few years. I think it came from my husband’s acting teacher’s neighbor? Who knows. People give me fabric. That’s totally fine with me, I’ll accept fabric. So it sat around until I realized that the perfect pattern for it would be the Rebecca Shift from Sis Boom. Totally perfect.

So I whipped this dress out in a couple days. Hardest part was matching patterns! Note to self: Start laying out pieces at the top front when aiming to match patterns, not with the biggest piece, the skirt bottom, like usual. I did use some tips from Historical Sewing when it came to laying out the bodice that really helped.

I also added pockets to my dress. The reason I don’t wear as many dresses is lack of pockets. And this has nice, deep ones. I have pics and can do a really simple tutorial on it. Here’s my tutorial on how I added the pockets. I also added side vents for ease of movement when biking around town. The pattern is written with a back zipper, and I intended to adjust for a side zip instead. I cut all the back pieces on the fold. But when I did a preliminary side seam to test fit, I noticed I could wear it without even bothering to add a zipper! Score! I did fit this like a loose shift, and some might prefer a closer fit. I also am small on top, so getting into the dress without a zipper works for me. It might not for someone with a different shape.

Summer Dress Back of my Summer Dress

Wow, I’m even impressed with my pattern matching.

Pictures of me were taken just before 1am this morning after getting dressed at 7am Thursday! Biked to school, did the last day of school, sat through Kindergarten Graduation, cleaned up ice cream, biked home, took a nap, made dinner, sat through Les Mis… And I still look good! I have a feeling I’m going to be wearing this dress a lot this summer.

 

I am also entering this in Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky!’s Summer of No Pants. I can’t guarantee this will be a no-pants summer, but here’s another reason to try.

Comments

3 responses to “Ah Summer! Dress”

  1. […] posted my Sis Boom Rebecca Shift Dress I entered in the Summer of No Pants recently and mentioned I’d added pockets. Here’s a […]

  2. Verna Grace Avatar
    Verna Grace

    I love this dress, and the alterations you made, especially the pockets. I love the fabric. It is so dressy and looks so comfortable.

    1. darcie Avatar

      Thanks Verna! Super comfortable. I like that it’s easy for every day and can be dressed up!

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