Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Summer Dress



I had this idea in my head to make a dress with a knit bodice and a sewn skirt after seeing this photo. I had some blue worsted weight yarn in my stash and found a pattern, and off I went. The photo in my header is the original color of the yarn. I did a picot edge to finish off the bottom hem and it was done in no time at all.



Now came the hard part. Trying to find some fabric that would match the yarn. Sounds easy enough. It was a nightmare, but not being one who gives up easily, I came up with the idea of dying the yarn black to match some fabric. Sounds easy enough. It was a nightmare. It took three dye baths to get it to the brown color that it is now. I used a brown lace fabric for the skirt and added an underskirt. I made the underskirt just a little longer so that it would show and left the edge unfinished.



To make the skirt, I measured my hips, added about 6 inches, and then measured the length adding a few extra inches for a casing. I made a casing at the top of the skirt leaving an opening, and threaded some elastic into the opening with a safety pin. After I tried on the skirt and adjust the elastic to were it fit best, I sewed the ends together. I then blind stitch hemmed the top to the skirt. If my instructions are confusing and you plan on trying this, I'd be happy to answer more detailed questions.

The Details:
Pattern for knit top - Drops 113-16 (free)
Yarn - Sugar'n Cream 100% Cotton, worsted, 2 skeins
Needle - US 7 circular
Modifications - shorted and with a picot edge

Please come back on Friday. It is my first year blogiversary, and I can't think of anyone else I'd rather spend it with. Oh, and I'm working on a giveaway too!

20 comments:

Mr Puffy's Knitting Blog: said...

Really lovely! That's so creative and looks fantastic on you.

Anonymous said...

That looks gorgeous on you! What a lovely idea!

larissa said...

The dress is beautiful - and fits you so well. I love how perfectly you dyed the sweater to match the skirt. What a great design - the possibilities here are endless.

alison said...

What a lovely piece of work, and it looks very becoming on you. You have every right to be pleased and proud.

sallymandy said...

That is so impressive. Very creative, skilled, and talented work here. I love it.

Saw you on WR. Good work.

sweetp said...

That is freakin fantastic!!

Bells said...

My goodness that's fantastic. I think it's a work of art. Well done !

kim said...

What?! Seriously? You just whipped this up in your head? That is fabulous! I love the sweater!!!! And the entire ensemble looks so good on you. Really, really nice job!

At Home Mommy Knits said...

That turned out beautifully! What a great idea. So creative!!

Anonymous said...

That looks fantastic on you!!! Great job!

Philigry said...

love this! i need to check out that pattern right away! beautiful.

Jessica said...

I absolutely, absolutely LOVE IT! You are so talented!

a friend to knit with said...

oh my. that is beautiful!
i love how determined you were.
and the final outcome is FANTASTIC!

MadMad said...

Whoa - a great idea with a beautiful outcome! (So rarely the case, isn't it?) But I love it - and I love the new color, too - what a great idea! You look awesome! Can you believe it's been a whole year? I'll be back tomorrow to wish you a happy day then!

Ashlynn said...

Beautiful summer dress... You're looking great in this dress...

Kate said...

Beautiful! You picked the perfect fabric to go with the top. It looks so lovely on you!

Alison said...

Wow, what a project! It turned out so gorgeous and looks adorable on you!

Happy knitting-
ali

Breana said...

Great job.!! That dress is absolutely stunning. Looks gorgeous on you..

t does wool said...

lovely dress...how did I miss this??

julie k said...

Very pretty! Love the fabric. It looks so nice with your knitting.