Vintage Geek Chic Star Wars Dress

I'm back!! I didn't plan to take the summer off, but with the trip to France and then finalizing my sewing room set-up, I've been a busy bee. My room is FINALLY all done and everything has its place, I'm loving it. I plan to make a blog post soon giving a little tour of the finished product, so keep an eye out!

About this dress, this is actually the first dress I've made for myself all year. That's 7+ months of not having made myself a single thing, which is probably the longest I've gone since I started sewing garments! This was intentional, for a certain reason, and this may just be a special exception. I haven't decided yet. But it was so nice to make something for myself again, and especially with this pattern that went together very nicely!

 What was the occasion, you ask? An original Star Wars trilogy marathon on the big screen! Now, I have to say I wasn't a huge Star Wars fan growing up. It was fine, but you know I was more into princesses and stuff. I married an IT guy, though, and so with that comes some learned geek appreciation. ;-) Costumes and dressing up were encouraged at the event, but I knew I wasn't going to be doing a full on costume, so I figured I'd just marry geeky with my usual vintage and go from there.

I used New Look 6143 for the bodice, I wanted that sweetheart neckline specifically.

When I was first contemplating a Star Wars dress and looking at fabrics, with the busy prints I found available I worried a dress made entirely of the same fabric would be a bit overwhelming, so I wanted to break it up a bit. I drew up a quick sketch based on the pattern.

The pattern went together really easily, I hardly had to make any alterations at all, just a little bit of extra length in the front of the bodice as usual. I did make one change to the bodice, I split the back pieces so that I could keep that yoke look all the way around.

I made my usual favorite self drafted gathered skirt with a flat front, and a pocket, and again to break up that busy print made a large border with the small black and white polka dot. I was very pleased with the result!

Front

Back

I'm always worried about sleeves being too tight or restricting. These were great for me, didn't have to change a thing!

It was a super comfy dress to wear to watch 7 hours or so of Star Wars! I got lots of compliments, and I was so pleased with the fit and comfort of this dress, that I may even end up wearing this out in the regular public at some point, lol. It will definitely be my designated Star Wars watching dress for all the future movies, though.

So glad we got a pic with the some of the guys from the local 501st Legion!

Flight of Fancy Feather Dresses

Here's another fun and whimsical order from Sally of Sallykate Photography for a shoot-out called Flight of Fancy! I made 3 dresses, the first of which was a very full skirted dress complete with overskirt and lace bustle.

I used Simplicity 1508 for the bodice (to which I added sleeves) and the basis for the overskirt.

I started with one row of feathers and ended up adding two more to get it as fluffy as I wanted.

 I thought it would be fun to line with a striped fabric!

Next was a dress with a skirt completely covered in feathers! This one obviously took the most amount of feathers, and I had a bit of a learning curve sewing them on! I ended up with a combination of machine and hand stitching. I also ended up with feathers EVERYWHERE, lol.

I used New Look 6388 for the bodice, and just extended the sleeve length a bit.

I decided to do buttons up the back, with elastic loops for the closure. It was finished off with a green sash.

The aftermath, lol...

I added a little bow to the front at the last minute!

And finally, the last dress had a green top (also using New Look 6388) with lace trim, lovely white skirt with tulle overlay and feather trim, and a black sash. I love the contrast of the white skirt with black feathers!

I got them shipped off way too last minute, but fortunately they arrived in time. And then my favorite part, here are some of the amazing pics from the shoot (which you wouldn't know by looking at the stunning models, but it was a very cold and very windy day)!

So much gorgeousness from Sallykate Photography!

Stunning image from Julie Peveto Photography!

Julie Peveto Photography

As luck would have it, as soon as I was done and able to start vacuuming, we realized we'd accidentally just thrown the bottom of the vacuum's canister away (and the trash had just been picked up)!! Lol! So I was stuck with feathers on the ground for a few days until we were able to order a replacement, but it was all worth it. ;-)

Sunshine Yellow Quinceañera Court Dresses - New Look 6223

My latest big project was making 6 court dresses for a quince! I imagine this might not be a thing in other parts of the country, but here in Texas it's a big deal for young Hispanic ladies turning 15! It's kind of like a Sweet 16 meets a wedding without a groom. ;-)

I made the dresses for the girls (kind of like bridesmaids) from a lovely yellow and white striped shirting. The birthday girl's mom did a great job picking the pattern which was flattering for lots of different shapes and sizes, it was New Look 6223.

We chose the gathered bodice with cap sleeves. I also added some small white buttons along the pleats on the sides.

The dresses went together really easily, I'd definitely recommend the pattern!

I was pretty busy making sure the dresses got done on time, so I didn't get a chance to take any really nice close-up pics of the dresses, just snapped some with my phone!

Fortunately, the talented Arlen Nydam was there and able to get some great pics!

I had mentioned possibly getting a pic with the girls' hands in their pockets, as they were all pretty excited to have pockets in a dress (girls after my own heart!) Love these!

It was a fun project and all the girls looked great, especially next to the stunning birthday girl!