I am getting really excited and a little melancholy about finishing my big year in sewing- A Garment A Week For A Year which if you have been a follower of this blog you know that I along with the remanding five other Sew Weekly Contributors have managed to sew to the challenges put to us each week, talk about dedication to your craft.  So, for this challenge we were to remake our favourite garment of the year, in reality this would of stressed the hell out of me especially at this time of year and I think my fav is a one-off never to be repeated garment so I had to pass and I chose to remake a slightly different version of the The Inbetween Days dress from the Accessories Challenge. I love the way that dress drapes and moves and it’s so damn comfortable, perfect for these 40 degree days we are experiencing. So above is my happy whistling face because this version turned out— in my eyes, fabulously; for the little time I had to sew it, photograph it then blog it, I’m really happy with the outcome. As for choosing a favourite for the year it would have to be the Embellishment Challenge, and I do love my Deanna all over printed Suit made for the Art Challenge. My least favourite would be the Gatsby Dress. Meh!

 Dress at full length.

…and you all know by now that when I have little time on my hands i’ll sew a square. This dress is indeed a square but with added features. The Inbetween Days Dress I had placed wide elastic around the arm/neck hole which made entry nice and easy; with this dress I measured the same area and cut to that measurement so when I pop my arm and head through the opening the dress sits and hangs perfectly from my body. It did take some fussing to get this right, I eventually got there in the end.

Every inch of the 2.5 metres of fabric is used in this dress. I folded the fabric in half making a square for the shell of the dress and with the excess strip I had roll hemmed and sewn this to the neck/armhole as a facing which sits on the right side of the fabric so it drapes over my shoulder and down the back. I then folded that piece and sewed two sides together which happened to give the dress a real designer look about it and this all came about by playing around with the drape on the dressmaking dummy. Pinning pieces together seeing how they fell and if it flowed.

The dress mid length. 

I placed a thin strap through the neck/armhole facing at the shoulder to bring in some of the bulk which sat heavy across my front i thought that was a wise decision. I’m going to just say this, this dress makes me feel sexy, the feel of the silky chiffon the way the dress moves when I walk, the colours, everything! Yum.

 Above the knee anyone?

I really hope these photos are doing this dress justice, it’s one thing me telling you how it feels and moves but it’s another if you can’t see what I feel. I hope you see that this is light and airy and has movement. We all know how hard it is to get a good shot sometimes and you want your photo’s to help tell the story.

All that hitching-up was made possible with the placement of two carriers and a long tie to hold it in place and don’t you think this could work as a day to night dress? The long version on the beach with a margarita and the shorter version dancing to Erykah Badu’s- Bump it! in a nightclub?

Over the last two years I’ve become rather fond of drapey fabrics and have discovered how flattering they can be with the right cut, this is a good thing knowing what works for you and what doesn’t. I would pounce on this if it were hanging off a mannequin and I’d be intrigued if it was on a hanger, you would have to ask what it was and how you get into it which would be half the fun, a dress you certainly couldn’t judge on a hanger.

You maybe seeing ‘squares’ from me for the remanding weeks we’ve entered crazy times, work, kids, family, Christmas it’s all go.

I hope you all have a festive Christmas filled with lots of love and Christmas cheer, stay safe and I’ll see you next week.