Besides spending time with family, one of the many things I love about the holidays is the opportunity to dress up! A new dress was on the list for Ann. Making it now was great timing for Easter. However, Ann is a Mom-On-The-Go. This dress has to be multi-functional for other upcoming events on her calendar as well as wearing it to the office.
Ann’s style aesthetic is Victorian/Edgy/Modern.
I selected a floral print that was not too frou-frou in a classic color palette.
The pattern is Butterick 5455 (OOP).
One of the features is a curved waistband that visually creates a smaller waist for Ann’s rectangular body type.
I always suggest making a mood board.
It’s an awesome way to take a pattern from just OK to Fabulous!
Ann is an extremely creative DIYer (check out her YouTube Channel) and needs no help from me in this area. With inspiration from her mood board, Ann decided to make her own trim. She used prepackaged corded piping and bias tape.
(If you’re interested in getting these for 75% off leave a comment on this blog post.)
Ann also made the fringe. Leftover from a previous project, she used a polyester satin that she cut on the straight of grain.
The Muslin Stage
The muslin stage is the perfect time to assess a style and make changes to fit your body type. Ann wanted to try a jewel neckline which looks great as a solid. Ann is not tall so to prevent the print from overpowering her space (skin) was needed between her face and chest. The armhole was cutback 5/8″ to show-off Ann’s toned arms. Finally, the waistband was too wide for Ann so I shortened it by 1” and shaved about ¼” off of the side seam to suggest more curve at the waist.
Details
Ann tried the dress on and saw the fringe was too long and thick (picture on the left) so her husband gave it a “hair cut”!
Ann loves headbands and made one with the leftover fabric.
Final Looks:
Easter
Blazer for Work Events
Cape for a Formal Event
Black T-shirt for the office
And as Ann always says “I hope you get inspired to create something EXTRAordinary;)”
I really enjoyed this project because I learned something new. I came into it thinking it would be a simple sheath dress, but quickly learned the piping and trim required a little more time than anticipated. I love how it turned out😊
How creative! The trim idea is great and well executed. Ann has a good eye for taking her ideas from ordinary to elegant and chic. Very nice and well done.
Such a beautiful, fun dress. Thanks for including info on the muslin stage and the fitting changes made. A few simple tweaks makes a big difference.