And the winner of Project Bridesmaid is...

Me! I finished my yellow bridesmaid dress, and I'm very pleased with it. My sewing skills improve with each new project. The dress fits my needs very well--it is cute, yellow, appropriate for a beachy environment, and it should look nice in pictures.


I used New Look 6799, view B. I was very pleased with the pattern--it is very easy to sew, the instructions are great, and I ended up with a very nice looking finished product. I did add a lining to the skirt, and added 5/8" to the length of the bodice. My only disappointment was that there weren't any lengthening/shortening lines on the pattern pieces, so I just drew a line myself and hoped that it all worked out in the end.

The fabric is a lightweight yellow cotton clip dot fabric that I found at Joann. They also had this in a bright pink, and it was still available this week. I'm a sucker for anything yellow and/or textured, so purchasing this fabric did not require a second thought.


I'd like to give a big thanks to everyone who responded to my recent post about lining fabrics. My favorite thing about writing this blog is that I'm able to connect with so many smart and talented people. I ended up taking Paco Peralta's suggestion of using a cotton fabric for the lining. Unfortunately I don't have any nice specialty fabric shops in the area, so I was a bit limited, but I did find a lightweight cotton in the same yellow color that seems to have done the trick very nicely.

Seeking lining help

I've taken the last two days off of work to recover from a bee sting to the face--lemme tell you, it was not a pretty sight. After a good long while of wondering if I'd be left permanently disfigured, the swelling finally went down today, and I'm feeling like myself again! I took a little time to start working on my yellow bridesmaid dress. I could probably finish most of it today, but I've run into a sizable issue, and I'm seeking your expert advice. The fabric I chose is a lightweight pale yellow cotton, and is very see-through. The lining I chose is also pale yellow and very see-through. I had hoped that the two would act as one solid when sandwiched together, but alas, this is not the case. As you can see in the image above, the pair of fabrics is still fairly see-through. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I might remedy this situation? Should I buy a different type of lining material? Please keep in mind that this dress will be worn in a tropical, summer environment, and the skirt is gathered at the waist (so perhaps I need to avoid too much bulk?)

Vintage Pattern Thursday

Vintage Pattern Thursday: Project Bridesmaid edition. In which I find a few cute vintage dress patterns that I think would be great to wear to a wedding.

Simplicity 5954: Particularly 3 & 4 on the top row (ok, maybe not in white). I like how they are both sweet and a little sexy.

Vogue 6968: Take a close look at the construction details. I love the way the sides are cut straight across and meet the front and back panels at a right angle.

McCalls 5734. That green dress is so sweet, and I love the way the waist element wraps.

Project bridesmaid: unconcsious inspiration

I came across this Vince dress on net-a-porter and noticed that it has nearly the same fabric I purchased at joann! Mine has all these tonal yellow dots applied to the fabric--though in a zig-zag pattern. Cute stuff!

Project bridesmaid

I need to find a yellow dress to wear in an April wedding in Jamaica. This is great news, as I love yellow, and can pick out any dress I like. Now, I already have a nearly perfect vintage yellow dress from the 60s or 70s that I found at a thrift store a couple years ago. The problem is that it's a thick knit polyester that is absolutely sweltering to wear in any sort of heat...probably not the best choice for a Jamaican summer.

Back to the drawing board, I found a couple potentially cute looking dresses online over the holidays. They just came this week, and well...


Above is a $30 dress I ordered from Chadwicks. I figured it would probably be cheap quality, but it looked good in the picture, and for the price it was worth a try. Despite ordering a size down, this this is still quite large and sack-like on me. Although I certainly wouldn't (and couldn't) outshine the bride, I would like to look cute for the pictures as this is a family wedding, and the pictures will likely be around for eternity! On another note, this dress arrived with several dark smudges on the reverse. I find that a bit strange for something brand new out of the packaging...


Next up is a dress from Vera Wang's Lavender Label that I found at bluefly (on sale twice plus a discount code, so much cheaper than currently advertised). I was a bit unsure on the color, but the cut looked interesting. I was really disappointed to see it in person. The cotton sateen reminds me of those yellow reflective vests one might wear while directing traffic. Although it is difficult to see in the photo, the bodice is also very large on this dress. I realize these photos make the dresses look more flattering than in person, so you'll just have to trust me on this!

So what's next on Project Bridesmaid? Well, on a trip to Joann fabric this weekend, I found this great yellow cotton fabric and decided on a pattern already in my stash. So the dresses above are being returned, and I'm going to try my best to make a professional looking yellow dress for the wedding. If that doesn't work out, I'll crawl the internet again. I do have until April, but knowing how hard it is to find a properly fitting dress, I may need all the time I can get!