1. Navy blue skater dress with neon piping 2. Scallop waist skirt
Happy Easter! Just a quick post about the shop update – with some neon piping I had left from making the lace dress, I made two new items for the shop. Check out here 🙂
creation
Lace and Neon
I clearly remember my first encounter with the neon trend. I kept seeing these bright neon satchels from the Cambridge Satchel Company all over on fashion blogs and sites. I first thought they looked terrible. It hurt my eyes they were so bright. I complained to Andy about this trend being so ugly. He responded, “babe, give it a time”. I said, “Why?” Andy: “Because you like anything that’s trendy”. “…”.
After a few months, I started liking the neon! It’s crazy. Although, I’d like to incorporate in in a more subtle way. So here is my attempt to incorporate neon into my garment:)
I added the neon piping to the seamlines. I initially had a different plan for this lace fabric. I was planning on making an I line dress with cut out back, but I saw a cute skater inspired dress in Japanese magazine, so I decided to go for that style.
The bodice is simple and fitted with princess seams. The skirt part is based on my Scallop Waist Skirt (free pattern download here). I added side in-seam pockets. The dress is fully lined. Since the lace had some stretch, I ironed on the fusible interface strips on curved seam lines to prevent it from stretching out.
I’ve already worn this dress five times – I love it! The bodice fits me like gloves. What makes this dress even more special is that it matches with Kiko’s dress.
Do you like the neon trend? How would you wear it?
Orange + Blue Gray Chevron Stripes
Do you like chevron stripes? I do! I’ve seen chevron stripes in lot of home decors, mostly in rugs and pillow cases. I think they use chevron stripes fabric or pattern in those instead of making your own chevron stripes fabric like me, using regular stripes fabric. Since I did not find any chevron stripe fabrics at stores, I made my own. I found this orange and blue gray striped fabric in Nippori. I immediately took it to the cutting table since I thought the thickness of the stripes was perfect and the color combination was so cheerful and unique!
Cutting the bodice pattern pieces in a way that the bodice looks like big chevron stripes was a bit tricky. Here is my comments on how to make chevron stripes effect on the bodice of a dress (or a top, skirt of whatever your choice!):
1. I used a pattern from some other dress, and the front bodice pattern was supposed to be cut center folded, and cut 1 piece. Instead, I cut two pieces, separated in the center front. One left front bodice and one right front bodice. Same thing for the back. My fabric was horizontal stripes, so I cut the fabric on the bias. I added 1cm seam allowance on the center seam.
2. I usually cut the pattern pieces with fabric folded, so it takes less time. But for this dress, I cut with fabric NOT on fold, and cut one piece at a time instead of cutting two pieces at once. I did this from front and back bodice. I cut skirt pieces on fold.
3. When I cut the fabric, I started from the left side of front bodice. I placed the pattern piece on bias. After I cut the left side, I placed the cut piece on the fabric to match the stripes and made sure that the center had “V” line with stripes, then cut the right side of the front bodice piece.
4. I’m sure most of you do this already, but make sure to iron on some fusible interface strips on the seam allowances where the zipper goes in. Since the bodice is cut on bias, the fabric can really stretch out if you don’t do this before inserting a zipper!
5. Buy a little more fabric than you think you need – I used more fabric than I expected, cutting the bodice on bias, and trying to match the stripes. I was going to make two of this dress, but I ran out of the fabric..so I made a bralette instead :p
The cutting part took time, but after that, it was pretty easy! I added side pocket and side invisible zipper.
