The Magic Rectangle Dress

Magic: 

The art of producing an illusion

There is no real magic in the Magic Rectangle Dress, but, it does give the illusion that it's much more than it is!!! In reality, it's just 2 long rectangles. There are no shoulder seams, just a seam down the front, and a seam down the back leaving an opening for the head. And then of course, side seams.

Much of my day was spent in old clothes. I am in the final stage of  getting my friend's house ready to turn over to the new owner. It has been quite the journey. More on that in another post :) After a day of hard work, I was rewarded with an evening out for dinner. And, as I've said, I am celebrating everything! If it's dinner out, I am dressing for the occasion!!! So, I pulled out this dress that I made 7 YEARS AGO!!! 

I so love this dress. I used a piece of vintage fabric that I had for years. I think it's from the 1940s. The fabric is so soft, and feels so good against the skin. The only issue is that it wrinkles easily, but hey, we can't have everything ;)

The "magic" of the dress lies in the gathered detail. The gathering gives shape over the bust, and that's what makes the dress look like so much more than it is.  

If you think that you would like to give this little idea a try, you can find my original post HERE. This is a piece that's great for summer, and will also work well in the winter in maybe a wool challis with a turtleneck. Hmmm, I think I will be making another ;)

If you give the dress a try, be sure to let me know! Just send me an email :)

Have a wonderful day! I hope a little magic comes your way :)

 Rhonda

   

 

I'm A Discount Code At Islander Sewing Systems!!!

Janet Pray of Islander Sewing System sent me a message and graciously offered a 20% discount on the Easy V Express top pattern for anyone who comes by the blog and would like to make up the pattern. And get this...all you have to do is enter the code RHONDA. I'm a discount code, what fun!!! You can find the paper pattern HERE, and the downloadable pattern HERE. 

I made the pattern up, THIS MORNING!!! as a dress and wore it to the Haute Couture Club June Banquet. That's right, I waited until this morning to get it made :/

I had planned to use the fabric from the resale shop dress I showed you yesterday, but I was a little short on fabric, so off to the stash for something different. Thank God for a stash! 

The pattern is quite easy to put together, but the neckline is just a bit tricky. The week of June 12th, I will begin the sew along, so there's plenty of time to get your pattern and follow along if you would like. We'll talk about lengthening the pattern and making it into a dress. We'll make a sleeveless version, maybe change up the sleeves for a little something different, and we'll also go over the neckline construction so that there are no questions. 

I really like the dress as it's super easy to wear, and I can pair it with heels are flats for a more casual look. This would also be cute as a tunic with tights, so lots of possibilities.

So remember, just put in the code RHONDA at checkout for your 20% discount.

Thanks Janet!!!

OOTD

Well, compliments of compliments....I think!!!

I had a year end luncheon and board meeting to attend today and it's hot as blazes here in Chicago, so I decided to go all out summer. 

I made this dress a number of years ago. It's one of my favorite summer dresses, cool, comfortable and feminine. I feel pretty when I wear it and I love the full circle skirt. 

The fabric is incredible, a beautiful embroidered cotton jaquard. I actually found it in an antique shop and I paid next to nothing for it.

So, the compliment???  After the meeting, I ran into Neiman Marcus to see if they carried a fragrance that a friend wanted. One of the salesladies complimented me on my dress and asked where I got it. I replied that I made it(I'm getting better about that). She was shocked. Then she said, "You look like Sarah Jessica Parker from Sex and The City. She always wore incredible dresses just like yours on the show." I think that qualifies as a compliment :)
Hope you've had a great day.

Fabulous Free Pattern Friday/The Perfect Travel Dress

For this dress I was inspired by the travel wardrobes I see many of you post. One of the bloggers that I feel is a master with a travel wardrobe is Margy of http://fool4fabric.blogspot.com/. She is absolutely incredible. I am convinced that she can take 6 garments on a month long trip and make it look like she has a new outfit every day. Check out her blog and see what I mean.

I am calling this dress,

The Perfect Travel Dress

So easy to do, just 4 rectangles, well actually 5 if I count the neck band. There are many ways to wear this dress as there are drawstrings in the shoulders and down the sides of the skirt.

Draw up the sleeves and it has a little different look.

The shirring in the top of the sleeve.

Draw up the skirt a bit for a little sexier look.

 Draw it up more and pair it with a pair of tights.

 Draw it up a whole lot more and it becomes a top.

 And of course the sleeves can be lowered or drawn up, whichever you like.

From the picture above and the picture below, you can see that the dress is just a rectangle across the top and another rectangle for the skirt.

To draft the dress, begin by measuring from the top of your shoulder, over your bust to the length that you would like the top portion to be. My measurement was 16". By the way, my fabric is knit. This dress does not have to be made from a knit, but if you do decide to make it from a woven fabric, you will need to include a zipper down the center back or you will never get into it.
My fabric was 60" wide. I used the width of my fabric and cut the rectangles for the top portion of my dress across the width.
The skirt measurements will be your hip measurement, plus at least 1" for ease, 2" is usually better. I always like to have a little extra and take it up if I choose. If there isn't enough fabric, there just isn't enough fabric. So your hip measurement plus 2" of ease by the length that you would like your skirt to measure.

To cut the neckline in the top of your dress, find the center.

Measure over 3" on either side of center and mark. Measure down from center 2 1/2". Connect your marks with a smooth curved line and cut open the front of your neck. For the back you will once again measure over 3" and then measure down only 1/2". I wanted my back neckline to sit a little higher at my neck. If you would like a more open neckline, you can always cut more out, just remember, you can't add back. Put the top portion of your dress aside for now as we will work on the skirt portion of the dress.

Begin by putting the hem in the 2 skirt panels. You do not want the side seams sewn together at this point. Once the hem in sewn in, sew the side seams and try the skirt on. We want some shape to the top portion of the skirt, so pinch in the excess fabric at your waistline. Once that is sewn in place, you will be able to sew the underarm seam of the top of the dress. Leave an opening for the waist of the skirt.
Before you attach the skirt to the top, sew the hem in the sleeves. Note that we have not sewn the shoulder seam of the top at this point. Once the hem is sewn in the sleeves, sew the shoulder seams together.
Now, baste the skirt to the top. It is important that you baste the skirt to the top as it is easier to take out basting stitches than it is regular stitches. Try the dress on. You may want to take in the sides of the skirt a bit more. The weight of the dress can change how the dress sits on the body. If you are happy with the fit, take out the basting seam.

To create the casing for the shirring cords, press open the seams on the skirt and the shoulder seams of the top portion of the dress. Stitch down the seam leaving about a 1/2" opening that your cord will go through.
Cut your cords. I cut mine 1 1/2" wide. You will need 4 cords for the shoulder seams, 1 for each side, you have 2 seams with 2 sides, so 4 cords in total. You will also need four cords for the 2 side seams of the skirt. Sew the cords with a 1/4" seam allowance. I did not trim my seams. Turn the cords to the right side with a turner or a safety pin will work as well.
Thread the cords through the side seam casings. Anchor them in place at the top of your skirt and at the neckline of the top of your dress.
Sew the top of the dress to the skirt.

In the above picture, the waist of the top is sewn to the waist of the skirt.
The final step will be your neckband. I cut mind 3" wide and folded it over. This resulted in a 1" neckband. 3" folded in half is 1 1/2" and then I sewed the band to the neckline with a 1/2" seam allowance.

I'm looking forward to taking this garment on a trip....somewhere! I think I can get by with a pair of brown pants, a ruan, a pair of tights, a jacket to match my pants and one other top and I should be set with the ability to make quite a few changes.
Good Luck if you decide to give it a try.