Midi Dress With Puff Sleeves And Front Tie

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Hi there, today's post is about a new dress I sewed last month. It's a midi-style dress with puff sleeves and a front tie. I made this dress to wear to a special dinner. For the pattern: I lengthened my selfdrafted v-neck dress into midi length. And for the fabric, I used a linen blend in green color. I bought the fabric in Bangkok during my summer holiday in August. The dress pattern had 6 pieces, front and back darts and I fused the facings with fusible interfacing. As usual, the sewing process was relaxing and it finished faster than I planned. The picture below shows the process of sewing the zipper, I pinned it before sewing it using the zipper foot. To make the puff sleeves, I gathered the sleeves before pinning and sewing them to the armhole.  After attaching the sleeves, I sewed the sleeve allowance 1 cm and the hem allowance 1.5 cm. And then, I pinned the neckline before top-stitching it. I decided
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Sleeveless Birdy Dress

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Hello...
I decided to make this dress the day before my visit to Hongkong. It was an easy and fast dress to make, I finished it in five hours :)

This dress was inspired by my refashion dress. It has bust darts and back darts, round front neckline and not so deep V back neckline, sleeveless, knee length, three pleats in the front skirt and two pleats in the back skirt and finished the neckline and armholes with bias tape.

Here is my final dress that I wore in Wednesday for mmmay'15 day 20. Husband snapped it in one of the fabric shops in Western Market, Sheung Wan - Hongkong.
I will explain more about the dress detail in the below post and also want to share my visit to the fabric store :)

Pattern And Modification:
This is my second dress based on Built By Wendy Book - Dirndl Dress pattern size 34, you can read my first version ~here~.

Materials:
I bought 3 yards of navy polycotton fabric with birdy prints in Lisbon-Portugal last year. I used 2 yards for this dress and still have the leftover fabric that is enough to make top or skirt.
Invisible zipper
Fusible interfacing
1/2" wide bias tape
Thread

Sewing Process:
I sew the darts and sew front and back bodice right sides together at the shoulder.
I measured 10 cm from CB down and cut in V shape.
After that, I pleated the skirt. Three pleats in the front skirt and two pleats in the back skirt.
Attached the skirt to the bodice right sides together and then sew both side of the dress right sides together.
Sew all the raw edges using an overlocker sewing machine.
I cut 2 cm bias tape from fusible interfacing and fused it in the wrong side of the center back. And then sew the invisible zipper.
Pin and sew the bias tape on the neckline and armholes right sides together and turned the bias tape inside and sew it again.
The last work is hem the dress. I used blind stitching with 4 cm seam allowance. Done!

Here is the pictures of the dress. Front and back views. Also the picture of the inner dress finished with bias tape at the neckline and armholes.


After all, I like how my dress turned out. The two things that I want to change if one day I make a similar one are the darts and the length. I will change the bust darts to the front darts and I will reduce the dress length a little bit.

Now, about my trip to the fabric store. I went to Western Market in the last day of our visit to Hongkong. We get there from MTR Sheung Wan station exit B and walked a little. The fabric store is in the whole the second floor.
Well, I was so overwhelmed seeing the amount of fabrics. I walked from one shop to another, wishing that I could find my goodies :)
In the end I only bought three printed polycottons that will be great to make summer dresses :D






 
 
Happy sewing!

Comments

  1. Sarah LizMay 22, 2015 at 12:59 PM

    What a pretty dress - it's good to know a pattern well so you can just quickly sew a new dress when you need or want one.

    I think it would be so overwhelming going into a fabric shop that has so much fabric - where would you start? There would be far too many choices - so much fabric in your photos of the shop. Still, you found three nice pieces as a keepsake.

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    1. @velvetribbon_sewsMay 23, 2015 at 10:07 AM

      Thank you, Sarah Liz. I spent almost 30 minutes walk around the shops until I found those fabrics :)

      Delete
  2. UnknownMay 22, 2015 at 5:20 PM

    Your dress looks very beautiful.
    I think it isn't easy to decide which fabric to buy, if there is such a wide range of materials.
    But you have bought three nice fabrics, so you can sew beautiful summer dresses.
    Happy weekend!
    LG Carolin

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    1. @velvetribbon_sewsMay 23, 2015 at 10:09 AM

      Thank you, Caroline. It wasn't easy to decide and I was lost in the paradise... :)

      Delete
  3. KathySMay 22, 2015 at 6:33 PM

    Lovely dress. It must have been wonderful to be surrounded by all that fabric, but so hard to choose. I like your three choices and think the red will look lovely on you.

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    1. @velvetribbon_sewsMay 23, 2015 at 10:10 AM

      Thank you, Kathy :) I wish I could live near that place, so I can visit more time :)

      Delete
  4. Sew Blessed Maw [Judy]May 24, 2015 at 7:22 AM

    Hana, what a pretty dress. I love the v in the back.. Really looks pretty on you.
    the fabric store looks wonderful... I bet it was over whelming.. ha But, I love the
    ones you chose.. And cant wait to see what you make from them..Happy sewing.

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    1. @velvetribbon_sewsMay 24, 2015 at 10:11 AM

      Thank you Judy :) I love the V back too and thinking to make one more.. :)

      Delete
  5. UnknownMay 24, 2015 at 11:16 PM

    The back makes this dress very special! Talk about fabric heaven! I wouldn't know how to narrow anything down -- looking forward to see what you will make.

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  6. The Winter~QueenMay 25, 2015 at 6:17 AM

    what a pretty dress Hana and that colour and style is so very you. The fabric store looks ike an aladins cave! Well done for buying just 3 pieces! xx

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    1. @velvetribbon_sewsMay 25, 2015 at 9:38 AM

      Thank you, Dawn. Three pieces is enough to fill my stash :) I will be back to the store next time with a list in my hand :)

      Delete
  7. FröbelinaMay 26, 2015 at 2:37 AM

    What a fabric store! I would so much like to shop there, looks like paradise! And your dress turned out beautiful, I really like the fabric you used! :)

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    1. @velvetribbon_sewsMay 31, 2015 at 11:13 PM

      Thank you, Katharina. The fabric store is huge and looks like paradise :)

      Delete
  8. UnknownMay 30, 2015 at 1:27 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  9. UnknownMay 30, 2015 at 1:29 AM

    Flip... lightening speed 5 hrs start to finish impressive stuff especially when it turns out so lovely. As for the fabric shopping, ouch that is bonkers overwhelm, it could go one of two ways and I think I would here been like you in the end to ooo much choice but great ones..love the black cat one

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    1. @velvetribbon_sewsMay 31, 2015 at 11:23 PM

      Thanks Amanda! Five hours for sewing only but the pattern already traced for so long :)
      Haha... I went absolutely bonkers. So overwhelmed that in the end only bought three pieces :)

      Delete
  10. MargoJune 11, 2015 at 4:39 AM

    Lovely dress Hana! I'm a big fan of bird prints but I don't often find them. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to choose a fabric with so much to choose from in that store! Wow!

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    Replies
    1. @velvetribbon_sewsJune 12, 2015 at 9:39 AM

      Thank you, Margo! As I mentioned in the previous comments, I am lost in the middle of paradise :) I will go back there and bring a list one day :D

      Delete

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