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.