Saturday, September 17, 2011

Birthday Dress

The shoes came!  They are even sparklier and more magical in person!  I wore them out for my birthday dinner last night, so now would be a good time to tell you about the birthday dress I made.

I have been stalking McCalls 6511 on eBay and Etsy ever since I saw it on Mena's blog.  I set an eBay saved search, and I checked Etsy every couple days.  Finally, I got an email from eBay.  It wasn't my size but not too far off, and only $4.99.  Problem was, I was going to be in the middle of the woods with no internet when it ended!  So I bid $20 and hoped for the best, and I won it for the starting bid!

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I had a piece of fabric in mind, but oddly, this pattern uses a TON of fabric.  I was surprised.  I think it's because the front of the skirt is gathered.  The pattern piece for the skirt front was huge and I was thinking "I must just cut one" but no, it was definitely two.  So I moved onto my second choice fabric, this mauve and blue rayon from the antique store.

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Putting this dress together was so easy!  I didn't even have to look at the instructions.  It was a really quick sew and I can't wait to make it again.  The pattern was a couple inches off from my measurements, so all I did was trace it onto an old sheet, make a couple adjustments, and use the sheet as my pattern piece.  It's not really "proper" grading but it worked. 

I used a metal zipper and some white hem lace I already had.  Total cost, $5 for the pattern and $7.50 for the fabric.  Pretty good deal for what is essentially a vintage 40's dress.

For my birthday dinner, I paired it with my glittery Miu Miu boots (!) and my favorite 60's jacket.

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My parents told the server it was my birthday, so they came over with cheesecake and a sombrero!

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Then Mike and I came home and had an impromptu dance party with the cat, who didn't have as much fun as we did.

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The hem looks like it's hanging lower in the front, but I think that is because there's more fabric and it's heavier than the back. Would a waist-stay fix that?

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Gratuitous shoe shots!

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I can't wait to make more dresses to go with my awesome birthday shoes!

7 comments:

  1. Oh, I love this dress! You chose the perfect fabric too, really lovely! And the boots are so glam!!!

    Happy Belated Birthday ;o)

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  2. Your dress is beautiful! I think the fabric is lovely - just perfect for this style - even if it was your second choice. I love your fabulous shoes! You look very lovely in this outfit.

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  3. The dress is fab, and of course, the sombrero sets it off perfectly...

    Happy birthday!

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  4. I CAN'T STOP LOOKING AT THE SHOES!!! I'm so happy you got them. They're just perfect with that dress. Nice work!

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  5. The dress goes so well with your booties and the cat looks so pissed! hahahahha

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  6. They are the cutest shoes and they complement the dress perfectly. I will avoid showing them to my youngest DD.

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