In the midst of my very busy graduation sewing season, I had two out-of-town college graduations. What do I decide to do? Sew myself a dress! At the beginning of 2016, I had hoped to dedicate weekends to personal sewing. I have found some time to do that here and there, but usually weekends are reserved for catch up on business orders or for rush projects.
I was quite anxious about getting everything ready for my two trips which were separated by one weekend at home.We had a group going to each event so there was travel planning, meal planning and event planning. The first was my daughter’s graduation and we had an amazing time. It is certainly a moment of pride for parents! The second was my son’s Master’s recital. He was unable to walk at his graduation ceremony due to a family wedding, so we decided to make the recital weekend our celebration.
Not long ago, I received an email from McCall’s Pattern Company that included the Vogue Patterns V1500 by Anne Klein. I had always liked the shirt dress style and thought this style might be flattering on me. I liked that it didn’t have a collar and did have cap sleeves. (I don’t wear sleeveless very often anymore.) I didn’t think the buttonholes would be fun, but purchased the pattern anyway. I ordered it directly from McCall’s because it was cheaper than using a coupon at Joann’s. I purchased the Ponte Roma at Joann’s.
So in the midst of travel plans, mountains of laundry and work sewing, I decided I want to make this dress for the recital. Of course my measurements were in between several sizes, so I started with the bust measurement. I should have pieced it together, but plowed forward. There is a bit of top-stitching, so altering the dress after assembly is not easy. I was very pleased with how it looks, but I am contemplating taking it in a bit.
I wanted a comfortable knit dress that would pack well but look nice. The recital wasn’t a formal affair, so this dress worked well. My son took the top photo above just outside the music building and we were in “model poses.” I could not find a buckle at Joann’s, so I made a simple tie belt. On the morning of my son’s recital, we walked down to Michigan Avenue and wandered into the Burberry store. And this happened!
From this angle the dress seems a bit saggy baggy. I plowed forward with the pattern – something I do all too often.
We were looking around for fun and I wandered over to the linen scarves. This one went well with my dress and my husband bought it for me!
My son’t recital was amazing.
My 87-year-old mom even made the trip.
My entire family was together – what more could I ask for?
My son had been living in Chicago for two years and I had yet to hear him perform. This weekend, I got to see and hear him four times, including at Andy’s!
What a weekend! And what a dress pattern. I’m very pleased with it, even though I may tweak the fit. It was a fairly simple construction. The buttonholes went fairly smoothly with my Janome and I completed the dress in a day of sewing.
