“You can never go wrong with a little pink… a lot works for me.” Dana Dalgetty
It is extremely difficult for me to resist a bubblegum pink fabric. And if it is a stripe, too, the odds are very good that fabric will end up in my sewing room. So it was with this silk and cotton blend found on the website of Mendel Goldberg Fabrics.
I purchased it last summer during a 20% off sale, and when it arrived, I knew I had made the right decision – although the stripes were a bit bolder in person than I anticipated. As usual, I wasn’t sure what I was going to make – a coat? a dress? a skirt? I needed more thinking time so I tucked it away until this Spring. In the meantime, I purchased this vintage Vogue pattern which I saw as a good basic design which could be easily changed, adapted and altered.
I like dress designs which have some “back“ interest, here the buttoned half belt. Although I loved the sleeveless view, I have become less comfortable wearing sleeveless dresses as I have gotten older. Thus, I was drawn to the short-sleeved view (C), knowing I could easily lengthen the sleeves to reach almost to the elbow, if that seemed the way to go. Thus, it was a logical progression to imagine the pink striped fabric made up in this design, despite the note on the pattern “Not suitable for striped fabrics.”
I wasn’t quite ready to forge ahead, however. My fabric was such a bold stripe, I feared a horizontal orientation of the fabric would be too much, but a vertical orientation was equally problematic. I went to my Pinterest feed to get some inspiration and in no time at all, the lightbulb went off in my head. The dress needed a combination horizontal and vertical orientation. I made this quick sketch, and I knew I had the solution I needed.
I set about making a muslin/toile for fitting, and then I hit a brick wall. Those curved darts you see on the pattern bodice just were not flattering to me, despite my working and reworking them multiple times. I finally gave up. I would need to find a substitute pattern for the bodice front and make it work with the bodice back toile which I had fitted successfully. This was all terribly time-consuming, as you can imagine, but I finally was able to find an existing bodice front in my stash of patterns/toiles which, fingers crossed, would work. I didn’t know how well it would work until I had the happy surprise of seeing the darts feed into the bold stripes successfully.
What was not as successful was the proper alignment of the buttons on the back belt to the center of the dress. That is one of the many downsides of fitting oneself – I could not see what I was doing, and although I measured and fiddled, I was still off by a couple of inches.
I lined the entire dress with a soft cotton batiste which complimented the softness of my fabric, adding a little more opaqueness to the finished dress. I did not use an underlining, reasoning that more structure would not be conducive to the soft flow I wanted in this garment.
A word here about the panel for the hem. Wow, was I tight on fabric! I thought the panel should feature one bold pink stripe, bordered by “half” white stripes. I barely had enough fabric to make this happen, and because the width of the skirt was just a bit bigger than the width of the fabric, I had to piece that panel. Whew, I just made it. Here is all the fabric I had left over:
I was able to wear this dress for two events in May, feeling perfectly dressed for both of them.
And that little bit of left-over fabric? I had plans for that, too, which I will share in a future post.
fiftydresses 
Beautiful ! My eyes zoned
Thanks!
Lovely, as always! I think you will have to coin the expression “playing fabric chicken” to the sewing lexicon. Oh, and that seam…I’ve yet to see it!
I do love a fabric challenge! Honestly, I’d rather have to squeak something out than have tons of fabric left over.
I left a message, but it disappeared. Possibly being vetted for security, or, more likely, I pressed the wrong button. It is wonderful to see your post. Your dress is darling, and your workmanship is superb.
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Ah, thank you, Mery! Because of all the fitting challenges, this dress took forever to make. Now I may have to use the pattern again just to justify all the hours that went into it! Lovely to hear from you, as always!
I have always loved your makes and enjoyed you sharing the ways you change the toile to please your fit. Will you share your dart making method… always perfect without the pointy look or the excess fabric at the top. Thank you so much for the inspiration
Thank you, Ginger, for your comment. About those darts – these darts were easier to finesse the point because I did not have an underlining. Sometimes that extra layer, no matter how lightweight it is, can cause a pointier point than desired. I do try to curve the last few stitches close to the point so that it is a little rounded, if that makes sense? Also, I find my best friend when it comes to darts is a lot of steam, pressing on a tailors’s ham to match the curve of the dart. I hope this helps.
A really lovely dress and I love the way you handled the stripes, so very well done
Thanks so much, Christine!
Beautiful! Your design resolutions and construction techniques are an inspiration!
That is so nice to hear, Anne – thank you!
I love the dart on the sleeve. I have broad shoulders and always avoid anything that makes it worse.
What I do to fit my prominent shoulders is: I elongate the top of the sleeve by about 1/2″ and shorten the width of the shoulder seam by an equal amount (at the top of the armhole). That, along with a dart, in lieu of easing stitches at the top of the sleeve, gives me more space for my shoulders. I hope that makes sense?
Fitting them isn’t hard just not looking like a football player with shoulder pads. Not only are they broad but square. Luckly on my son got them. They look great on him!
Beautiful use of the stripes! This is the perfect party dress for spring. The colours, the style, the details. Another work of art!
Thank you, Marianne! Offer me pink fabric, and I’ll follow you anywhere!
So attractive! Timeless too. Pink can be so fresh looking😊 I find I’m drawn to new peop
Thank you, Marjorie! I love wearing pink, all types of pink, and I never get tired of it!
Definitely my favorite look so far, that dart at the bust is crazy good – I’d be showing it off to everybody I meet!
Thanks, Nadine!
What a bold move to use those stripes like that! It paid off, they work! I love this for spring and summer, so cute! That half belt is such a nice touch, I may have to try drafting something like that for a dress.
Those stripes are definitely bold! I knew they would be fine for a coat, and I hoped they would be okay for a dress. Fortunately, it all worked out okay!!
Beautiful and classy as always, Karen! Can you please share how much fabric you used?
Hi Sharon, the fabric was 60” wide, and I believe I ordered 2 yards. Mendel Goldberg usually cuts generously so the piece I had to work with could have been closer to 2 1/4 yards. It was definitely a squeeze!!
Beautiful dress and interesting process. I always enjoy reading about your projects.