M6886 Swing Dress Hack

Oh heyyy, sewing blogosphere! Happy May! You didn't think I forgot to post last month, did you? I didn't forget, but life sometimes gets in the way... I've actually been working on a really fun project in a sewing class I've been taking for the past few weeks, which I can't wait to share with you but needs a little more time. It has been a stretch project for me- teaching me/forcing me to learn several new techniques. It's always nice to balance a complicated (to me) growth-inducing project with an easy palette-cleansing project. That's where this pretty little blue number stepped in: a swing dress hacked version of M6886.

So, why did I want to make a swing dress? A few years ago I thrifted a RTW swing dress; it's really cute, comfortable, and I wear it a lot. It's so well-loved that the fabric has definitely seen better days. Before I can even think about removing it from my wardrobe, I wanted to make sure I could make a similar version (the original is black with tiny flowers all over it- super adorbs). In order to figure out how it was constructed, I took a look at the inside of my RTW swing dress, and to my surprise it has a front and back piece (very similar in shape to M6886, which is why I chose this pattern as a jumping off point) with two triangular shaped side panels. Most of the swing dress hacks I've seen involve simply making the front and back pieces wider rather than adding side panels. And that works too, but I had a sneaking suspicion the reason I've been so in love with my RTW dress is the way it hangs, as a result of the side panels. I think they give it a three-dimensional fullness that just making the dress wider would not accomplish. So I made a triangular side panel piece and cut two along with the other pattern pieces.

The construction was really straight-forward; I followed the instructions, and when they told me to sew up the side seams I added in my panels (about an inch down from the armpit). I also made my first high-low hem on this one, something I'd been wanting to try. I didn't want to have to make asymmetrical side panels, so instead I sewed the whole thing up, a bit longer than I wanted it to be then cut the hem in a shape I like (it helps to have a dress form for something like this) and finished with a rolled hem and some fusible bonding tape to hold it in place. I used a really soft and stretchy cotton-spandex for this- very comfortable. I was almost tempted to do a wild print on this dress, but I wanted a basic version first before I started making standout versions...

I didn't forget about Me Made May! I won't be doing an official pledge this year- fool's errand for me, really- I don't have enough me-mades! But I will unofficially participate in that I'll be sewing and working on projects to contribute to my me-made wardrobe :) I expect that by this time next year, MMM will be a realistic possibility for me with plenty of options.

You may have noticed that my hair came out in full force for this photo shoot! I just recently had it colored into this lovely blonde balayage. I am also working on my wavy style. Attempting to accomplish this look has only reminded me that my hair has a TON of volume and that's actually a good thing. This is the type of look my hair dreams about while it's sleeping- this is what it wants to do; who am I to stop it, right?

This has also been my first month living in Washington State! I'm loving it so far. One of my favorite activities so far has been running on forest and/or mountain trails. The air feels intoxicatingly clean and the gradient of the soft forest floor makes it a much more effective leg workout then running on concrete city streets/paths (whilst breathing in pollution). We are still doing a lot of exploring and getting the lay of the land, as it were. Oh, and in case you were wondering- no, it absolutely does not rain here as much as the Twilight movies suggest. We've had more bright, sunny days than rainy ones (though I'm told Winter is Rainy Season. This still beats Freezing Ice Season in Chicago, IMHO).

I think I've updated you on everything I can possibly update you on :)

I recently watched the movie Begin Again on Netflix. I wouldn't say it's super fantabulous or anything like that, but it is worth a watch. I give it 4 stars. Adam Levine sings this song, which has been stuck in my head for two straight days now:

And that's all for me!

Until next time...

xoxo,

Amy