I made a dress, but this time it wasn't for myself. My mom and I share the same birthday month (May). And if you're wondering why in the world I would make a dress so early before our birthdays, well... I like to plan ahead. And usually it's way ahead. Once Christmas is over, I immediately start preparing for the next present, which in this case is my mom's birthday!
This dress is totally not me. But it IS totally my mom. Which is really great, since it's her dress.
The sun was going down, it was baby's bed time and I really wanted to get these photos out of the way so I could pack the dress up so I donned my nerd glasses and new haircut and no makeup to show you my wonderful stitchery.
I am incredibly happy with it! It was a big leap. We had been talking for a month or so about a dress she would like for her birthday. I can't surprise my mom, we plan her birthday presents together. I had also made her a table runner with "Whitman" quilted through it which is pretty cool. She wanted a table runner, I made it cooler :)
I had a small budget for this project. I used a vintage pattern I already had. It was a gamble to use it because it was only one size (size 10) and it was almost a size too small for her. Luckily its a loose fitted dress so it worked really well. PHEW. I also was on the look out at Goodwill for a fabric that would scream "MOTHER". What's really crazy is found it! The only problem was there wasn't much of it. The solution? DO IT ANYWAYS.
And guess what? It was a curtain. I love curtains.
Pattern: McCall's 7038
Size: 10
Fabric: 100% Polyester Curtain from Goodwill (3$)
Pattern changes: I lengthened the the dress to be floor length so my mom could hem it to the length she wants. We are the exact same measurements, except she is 2 inches taller. Makes it easy for me to make her clothes even when she's states away. I also widened the skirt after the pockets so the floor length wouldn't be too tight.
This was also my first time doing buttonholes, so I consider this a great success!
This pattern has really cool yokes at the top, and I was hoping it wouldn't turn out too "western" when working with a really nice floral fabric. It turned out to be a really nice detail that really adds to my mom's style.
If you look closely, you'll see ironing ridges on the bottom of the dress. I attempted to hem it without cutting off fabric but it was just too thick from all the folding and the drape was way off. So I just kept it floor length. So this dress is ALMOST finished, it just needs a hem and the bottom ironed out.
A lot of it was top stitched over
the seams, which adds even more detailing to it. It almost seems like a RTW. No one would ever notice it was hand made ;)
This was such a labor of pure love. I hope my mom has a wonderful birthday and loves her new dress. I love you mom!
