Palindrome Dress!

Yes, ma'am, this dress is the same backwards and forwards, right to left and left to right. A veritable palindrome. To boot: I made it with one pattern piece - the first thing I've drafted myself.

But before we get to the dress, a few other palindrome faves:

Lived on Decaf; faced no Devil!

Yo, banana boy!

Party boobytrap!

As you can see, my policy is to end all palindromes with an exclamation point. It is absolutely necessary, thanks for asking ;)

Pattern: No lemon, no melon! (no pattern)
Fabric: Cotton jersey, from fabric.com
Belt: Vintage

My Process

I started with this Old Navy dress from several years ago. It's a knit, and I like how it fits me.

I folded the dress in half and marked the arm hole and hem on (what I think is) quilting interfacing with dots on it. I found it with the interfacing at Hancock Fabrics and figured I could use it to copy and alter patterns. I traced the waist and skirt, adding 5/8" for seams.


I then used my trusty french curve to form the arm holes and neckline.

I cut the pattern piece out of the interfacing. I then pinned and cut two out of my striped fabric (one for the front and one for the back), placing the straight side of the pattern piece on the fold. I was also careful to match the stripes along the side seam. I used the stripe right under the arm as a guide.

Finally, I turned in the arm holes, neck line, and hem by 1/4". It was here that I realized this all may be easier with a serger. Someday....someday.



As you can see, the dress is the same backwards and forwards. I finished just in time for fireworks.


The Truth: My original idea for this fabric was a beach cover up (before I botched my July 4th dress.) Given my intentions, I think I can count this dress toward beachwear for The Summer Essentials Sew Along 2011. Tragically, I only get to the beach about once a year - so having a dress/cover up is handy and efficient. I know this is cheating a little... forgive me?


One more sewing palindrome to sign off? So many dynamos! (over at The Summer Essentials Sew Along flikr group...)

Lacey Shoulder Dress

Last month, I fell for a little black dress with a loose top and lace shoulders. The stitching was such low quality, though, that I decided it wasn't worth the $60. Instead, I tried to create a similar dress. There were some trials and tribulations - for example: When you make a dress out of a rectangle of fabric it does, indeed, look like a garbage bag. You do need to make the waist narrower than the shoulders and hip. Considering how many times I stitch-ripped the elastic out of this rayon challis dress, I think it came out pretty well!