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for the time being i will keep my old posts here at blogger, but i have imported all content to wordpress. please don't abandon me! to stay updated, head on over to my new space and follow me there. thanks!

—lisa g.

Friday, August 24, 2012

a shirred dress of my own

last time i showed you how to insert a shirred panel in a dress. i modified mccalls 5838 and made different versions for two of my daughters. i loved how these came out so much...





that i had to make one for myself! i really loved the silhouette of the bridesmaid dresses (new look 6776) i made earlier this summer and decided to use the same pattern in a different view for a shirred back summer dress. in gingham.

pockets!

i love this dress so much... words cannot express.

so after my first shirring experience, i made slight changes to this. i inserted 1/4" elastic at the top of the panel and at the bottom, out of the way of the waist SA. this worked out a little better than zig zagging in the skirt SA. i threaded the elastic through and secured it at the ends when i sewed down the sides of the panel (see my last post).


worked like a charm! in future dresses i would probably either shirr the entire back or insert a size zip. as is, it's a little bit of a struggle to get the dress on and off. but once it's on, it's completely comfortable!

i cut the slide thingies off a cami and made the straps adjustable

i basically just guessed how much of the back i wanted shirred, and went with about half the back width, centered obviously. after some test scraps, i determined that 5" of material would shirr down to about 3.25". from there it's a simple ratio math problem: take the desired finished width times 5 then divided by 3.25. then add about 1.25" in width for a 5/8" SA.


this worked for a medium weight material with a very light lining. if you do this, make up a small test on scraps first.


i love this dress so much i need to find a way to wear it into early fall.


jean jacket and boots? oh yeah, that'll do.

—lisa g.

12 comments:

  1. Very cute! and the ruffle neckline of your daughter's dress in the top photo is adorable!

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    1. she's my little princess and HAD to have the ruffle version. definitely suits her!

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  2. This is so cute, Lisa! I want one!!

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    1. thanks! it's sure to be in heavy rotation until the cold weather hits!

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  3. This is great! I love the shirring... it would give all the looks of a super-fitted dress, but then give room to breathe. I am plotting my own version now! I see you even have a tutorial. Awesome!

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    1. thanks! i used to be skeptical of the home-shirring, so glad i tried it out!

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  4. I love your gingham dress! Great work. The shirring instead of a zip sounds like a great idea. I've recently been feeling constricted in my fitted dresses... Maybe I should give it a try as well! Anyhow, the dress looks lovely, well fitted, and flattering. Great job!

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    1. thanks! i know what you mean about feeling constricted in the fitted dresses. the shirring is a great solution for that, hope you try it out!

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  5. hey - gorgeous dress and love your blog. I have nominated you for an award. here's the link:
    http://hugsandkissesclothing.wordpress.com/2012/08/26/i-am-speechless-xxx/
    Hannah xXx

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  6. Gorgeous!! And your shirring is impeccable. The blue gingham dress of yours is superbly flattering on you - I think it looks great with the boots & denim jacket!

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    1. thanks! even though it's a super summery dress, i'm dying to get out the boots and jackets. i'm so ready for fall weather!

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i appreciate all the feedback, but will no longer be responding to comments left here. i have moved all my content to wordpress (see link at the top of the page!) and will now be posting there. all my posts can be found in my wordpress archive. thanks for reading and please visit my new page!