Dresses, Dresses and Dresses

It's not exactly a common hobby, but I love dressmaking. I enjoy actually making the dresses, but I also love the end product - a pretty dress that fits perfectly (most of the time!) and for far cheaper than you'd ever get on the highstreet. I love finding great material for a bargain price. I went into a lovely shop recently FULL of such pretty fabrics but didn't buy anything. There were no obvious prices anywhere and the Christmasy fabric cut offs in the 'bargain' bin were £8 per metre... To me that's just not the idea! I also try to always use patterns more than once to get the best value out of them, because they can be the most expensive element. I realise this is probably starting to sound fairly stingey, but to me the low cost is half the point and appeal.

I was recently doing the yearly brutal clear-out of my wardrobe and realised that half of it seems to be taken up with dresses I have made. Until now I hadn't ever really counted just how many I've made over the past couple of years. It's a lot!

So a run through of dresses I've made so far....




Firstly there's the ones I made using the Simplicity pattern 4119. I made 2 of these dresses - one for day and another for evening. 

I used different fabrics and shortened the dress for going out. I've worn the turquoise and gold dress a lot and really like the colour of it.

I've also made two dresses using the Cynthia Rowley pattern 2443. I love this one because it's a flattering fit and has pockets!

Another pattern I've used twice is Cynthia Rowley pattern 2250, which is one of my favourites. 

I've made one of these with the straps in a flowery fabric that's perfect for summer days, and another strapless one in plain blue.

I did make two dresses using the Lisette pattern 2209, but one didn't come out so well. I used a viscose fabric and I think I must have had it distorted when I cut the pieces out because it turned out uneven. It was such a pretty fabric too, such a shame. I'm going to turn it into a skirt though so it's not entirely wasted!

This is the one that came out well, although I think it needs taken in slightly at the side.

Then we get to the dresses I made my own patterns for. 

First is the dress with a gathered waist, 3/4 sleeves and a low back. I made two of these again, one for day and one for going out. The stripey dress looks much better with the skinny brown belt I wear round the waist with it. The purple and silver material was in a sale at a market and so was so cheap!

 Next we have two that are basically based on the same pattern but turned out very different.

For this red one I used a jersey material for the lining and lace over the top. I didn't attach the lining to the lace at the bottom which gives it a layered/tiered effect.

I have worn this stripey dress loads, and I've also made exactly the same one in green. It's a great day dress and again looks best with a skinny brown belt round the waist.

Finally we have all the skirts I've made. Again I made my own patterns for these.

I love this maxi skirt, but it does need taking in a bit now to sit as a higher-waisted one. I also made the crop top using my own pattern too. I want to make more of these for summer.

I made the left two of these skirts based on my own patterns using viscose materials. The one on the left is lined because while making it I realised the material was pretty transparent! I sewed the red ribbon round to highlight the waist and it fastens with a zip. The middle skirt has an elasticated waist and I love it. The one on the right is a skirt I actually bought, but it was sort of a puffball shape so I altered it and much prefer it now.

So that is pretty much the total of what I have made so far!