Stretch velvet. I mentioned this project a bit back. I sewed this right before the holidays for a party we were going to. It was a perfect project. I had a back up dress all ready to go, to take the pressure off. Fortunately, this came together easily. It's sewn from McCall's 6069. I am showing it here without a belt, but I really like it better with a belt. I also have to admit that it's not the most flattering dress for me. It was really too loose in the top, like I could store a lot of items in there if I were shoplifting, let's say. But the drape is really pretty and I love the back. I opted for full length sleeves (not the 3/4 sleeve version) because I get so sick of having cold forearms, and I love dresses with long sleeves, and this is virtually impossible to find right now.
I'm not even sure how this came to be, this project. I think I got obsessed with a velour dress I tried on in a vintage shop but felt it was too 80s and looked like a dress from a golf club, and then thought I'd sew one, only different, and before I knew it I ended up here. I found the fabric first and then the pattern. . . I love sewing this way. I mean, I love knowing exactly what I want to create, but I also like just wandering down these random roads and seeing where I end up, which is I guess at the door of Studio 54 this time. I wish I had gold heels to wear with this, but I do not.
The stretch velvet was a bit tricky, the way knits can be. I used special a sewing machine needle for knits, which made all the difference. Also, this pattern is meant for knits, which was really important, the fewer seams the better. I anchored the tops of the shoulders to my bra straps with safety pins, so it was secure which made chatting with people much more stress free.
*Unrelated— to celebrate this Monday, I was happy to find this Martin Luther King Jr. educational site by the Seattle Times with info for us to read, print and talk about, like this study guide we can discuss. There are some really great resources the link to as well.
