Me-Made in the Heat

We had central air conditioning installed in our house a couple of months ago. We went to turn it on yesterday, since the temperature suddenly shot up to 90 degrees (32 C) and guess what? No AC.

So today I am working from home and waiting for the AC guys to come fix the damn thing. Lucky for me, I have plenty of breezy summer me-made clothes! This is “Pinafore Dress” from Happy Homemade Sew Chic.

I made it from two panels of silk crepe, overruns from Ralph Lauren that I got at Mood Fabrics in New York. I needed a dress pattern that would have no darts or other design features to get in the way of the gorgeous Art Deco design. It was tough to cut just the same, because the design was printed at an angle. I thought about making a dress on the bias so that the design would be straight, but sewing silk crepe on the bias requires a special kind of crazy that I ain’t got.

Truth be told, this is another project that’s not as well-made as it could be. I didn’t line up the yoke and the dress as well as I could have with all the gathers along the front, so the corners jut out a bit. Also, the hem is a little wonky. Still, I made this with French seams for a pretty look inside and out, and I made best use of the design.

I intended it for a beach cover-up, not a dress, but it’s going to be 90+ again today so I need all the cool I can get.

Author: shoes15

I live in Connecticut, USA with my husband and my dog, in an old house outfitted with a sewing room, a garden, an orchard, and a big liquor cabinet. View all posts by shoes15