Thursday, May 19, 2011

Swirl Wrap Dress Project

I've been a very busy sewer lately!  In addition to the One Pattern, Seven Bloggers project, I've churned out four of my knockoff Swirl dresses using Simplicity 4986.

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I think this is my favorite pattern I've ever sewn.  It's so easy and quick and the best part - no zippers!  The only closure is the one wrap tie.  I stopped at four because at the rate I was going, my entire closet was going to be only this dress.  Here's a rundown of my finished dresses.

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Fabric:  Thrifted sheet from Salvation Army, $2.  This is the first one I made and I didn't do a muslin, so it was slow-going and a learning process for me.  It turned out a little bit big, and I don't love how high the neckline comes up.  Also, for the tie strap, it had you hem the edges.  Unless you tie it perfectly, you can see the wrong side of the fabric.  Even with it's minor issues, t's cute and I can see myself wearing it a lot this summer.  I already wore it once to work.

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Fabric:  Thrifted curtain panel from Bethesda Thrift Shop, $1.99.  This is my favorite of the bunch.  It fits the best, and I LOVE the fabric.  Yes, it's a curtain, but you would think it was just regular old eyelet fabric if I hadn't told you that.  I love the buttercream color, too.  I've already worn this one three times!  I didn't have enough fabric, so I left out the pockets and and the skirt is not as full as it should be.  I also slightly lowered the neckline and hemmed it shorter.

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Fabric:  Tropical print cotton from my friend MaryLee's stash, $0.  This one is Mike's least favorite because he thinks the color is drab.  It sort of is, but my entire closet is like Joseph's Technicolor Dreamcoat.  I thought it would be beneficial to have something neutral for a change.  I had TONS of this fabric, so the skirt is full like whoa.  I wore it to work yesterday with a bright green necklace and orange flats.

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Fabric:  Vintage pear print cotton from eBay, $25.  And for my piece de resistance, I used an expensive (for me) piece of vintage cotton I bought on eBay.  When I started this project, this was the fabric I initially had in mind as it's the most Swirl-esque of any fabrics I own, but I was waiting to cut until I worked out every kink of the pattern.  I had three yards, but it was skinny - 35".  I didn't want to sacrifice pockets or skirt fullness, so instead I used plain white cotton for the facings and made the skirt as short as I possibly could.  I normally like to do a deep hem, but I kept this one to under an inch.

Next up for my Swirl project, I take on Simplicity 6341 with this butterfly print cotton from the antique store!

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16 comments:

  1. These dresses look so cute! Have you ever checked out Colette Pattern's Crepe dress? It's also a wrap dress, I recently bought a different pattern from them, but had I known that Crepe was a wrap dress I might have bought that one instead. Darn! Thanks for sharing your creations :)

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  2. I love the one that Mike thinks is drab. I think it sounds great with the necklace and shoes that you wore with it.

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  3. I love your dresses! They came out great! I really love the one you used out of a curtain panel, I would have never thought of using curtains for fabric, that's clever (:

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  4. Gosh Amy, how do you sew so fast!!!??? Your wrap dresses are amazing and I actually (strangely for me) love the middle two the best. Oh and your green necklace on the second one is gorgeous!

    I can't wait to see your finished Simplicity 6341, so cute!

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  5. The pear dress is such a treat! I heart a wrap dress.

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  6. Oh I love them ALL!! I would totally make 4 (or more!) of the same dress, if I could find such a great pattern. Um, now I'm off to google, haha.

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  7. Gosh I love this style of dress - I've had my eye on the Collette Crepe, but have held off as I know I'll have to make too many mods for my 'not so curvy body'. I might have to start looking for alternative vintage patterns for some more guidance - thanks for this.

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  8. Sewing frenzy- I love it! Dammit woman give me some of your time.

    Looking forward to seeing the Simplicity pattern with that keyhole!

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  9. You didn't happen to buy that last pattern from me? I had that exact one in that exact size! Which is not my size, hence, I either sold it or gave it away.
    Isn't it great when you find a pattern you love THIS MUCH? :)

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  10. Are these all for you? My favourite is the tropical print cotton.

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  11. They all look great. I especially love the pear print one. If I find a good pattern, I have a habit of making multiples of it one after the other too.

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  12. i had those sheets when i was a child in the early 70s!! wow,,,
    the dress is adorable

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  13. Oh!! It seems you really like the model! You did a great job with all of them

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  14. Amazing dresses! I got so inspired that I went and bought the same pattern off Etsy!!! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  15. I need those patterns now!! Very inspirational post! Thanks! I'm a new reader! xx

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  16. I just got this pattern - did you make any adjustments? Love your blog!!

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