One of the Stashbusting Sewalong challenges for February is “Red”. Well clearly I needed to make a Valentine’s Day dress!
You may notice that it is very similar to this dress, and yes, indeedy, it is McCalls 5512, but this time made of fabric that is luxurious and nice to wear. Having said that, Cupid got me with his arrow a few times, and not in a good way. I was busy watching the Great British Sewing Bee as I sewed and this is not to be recommended. It did not end well for my sleeves which had to be unpicked on several occasions, including the occasion when I pierced my finger with a pin and one little drop of blood hit the fabric and turned black. I cannot suck my own blood off fabric as recommended, so I hit the laundry and took the blood and the colour out of the fabric. A new sleeve was ordered…
My other issue was with the pressing. No matter how often I steamed that hem, I could not make it lay flat as the fabric is kind of springy. Since taking these photos of course, I have sorted it! My other worry was the collar. Would it work with softer fabric, or would it flop about? I didn’t want to use heavy interfacing, but I have to say that the collar was a bit of a success. It sits flat at the back, even in this out of focus shot – the price of walking and taking photographs!
and quite nicely at the front.
We walked through the city admiring the Giants, and I was so pleased we got to see them – 1.4m people joined me! Not so pleased with my photography efforts though. This is the best one I got. Little girl giant was doing her exercises when we caught up with her.
In a nutshell: Pattern is McCalls 5512, a vintage pattern from 1970, made from red silk and cotton blend, with flower shaped buttons. The belt was given to me by my Mother-in-law.
Love the colour and most of all love how the soles of your shoes match………………
Very nice! This collar is perfection, all the more if sewing it while watching The Great British Sewing Bee! Would you participate in such a challenge if the show was adapted in Australia, as it was in France?
Haha, I didn’t know there was a French version? I don’t think I could stand the pressure even though I can sew quickly. I think the refashions and creative bits would see me exiting fairly quickly!
In French, they called it “Cousu main” which means “handsewn”. They sticked to the concept and have the same mix of participants. This is really a formula. The presenter is also a fashionable woman, but more irritating, and the two judges are almost identical to those of GBSB. One last thing: I’m sure you would be the star of the show. Your makes do not lack originality. And, god, you’re fast!
I’m definitely going to copy this! Lovely shape and smashing colour.
Thank you Stephanie!
I love the style of this dress! And it suits you really well!
Thank you, I think shirt dresses are a bit undervalued, they are always smart and easy to wear.
Beautiful! I just bought the Maria Denmark shirtdress and you are making me itch to put that PDF together and try it out!
I think shirt dresses are classics, looking forward to seeing yours!
Beautiful shirt dress, love the colour and it sounds like it would be gorgeous to wear. Those Giants are amazing!
The Giants were incredible, Sharon, people came from all over Australia to see them. Shirt dresses are the best!
Lovely dress! Red is one of my favourites. Seriously, you are supposed to suck the blood drop out of the fabric??
Apparently your own saliva is the best way to go, as it breaks down the enzymes, but it turns my stomach a bit, so I hit the chemicals and it didn’t end well! I just did some investigating and you can spit on your finger and rub it into the blood and that removes it – I didn’t think of this, such a muppet! Thanks for your comment, Linda!
Well thank you for the tip!
Lovely shoes and dress! Shirt dresses are just so lovely, and this no exception!
I saw the giants down in langley park on the saturday, it was so packed! They were beautiful though, I got a good look at the diver and I was so glad I went. Never have I ever seen that many people out in Perth city!
It is remarkable that Perth got to host the Giants, and I couldn’t believe how alive they seemed to be, they had such personalities. A truly not to be missed event. Thank you for your comment Alecia.
Your dress looks lovely Sue! I hope you had a nice Valentine’s Day too 🙂
Very nice! I just recently bought a collared dress pattern like this that I’ve been meaning to try out. That color looks great on you!
What a great shirt dress, and in a beautiful color! I love that you made it from a 1970s pattern and it looks perfect for right now. So . . . your dress is timeless as well as beautiful. I had to look up about the Giants–really interesting, I’m glad you got to see them.
Lovely shirt dress and perfect colour for Valentines Day. Love the raglan sleeves.
The sleeves are adorable Jean, thank you!