Sew a Patchwork Dress
Last night I sewed for three hours, and it felt like the best three hours of my entire life! I was struggling since January with a new sewing machine that didn’t work. However last weekend my husband brought me to JoAnn’s and we picked up a Brother! The machine is so easy to use. I set it up and got to sewing right away with it.
This dress took about four to five half hour sewing sessions. I've still had a stack of cotton squares on my sewing table, so I just grabbed some and whipped them into a dress. Super simple and the end result is gorgeous! I added lace to the bottom hem. I’m looking forward to wearing this dress when I go to the park or on my next day trip.
Here are a few tips for sewing a basic patchwork dress.
Try cutting off the top you are upcycling a few inches under the armpit area. That raises the start of the skirting to the top of the bust area, which gives the dress a super cute vintage feel. Hello 1960’s!
I used six squares horizontally, and then estimated how long I wanted the dress to be. When I was sewing, I stretched the top as I sewed so that the top of the skirting would have a slight gathered effect, and wound up needing to add more squares to complete the row. If this happens for you, just stop three to four inches before the end of the seam, add in more squares and then finish sewing.
Sew the vertical seam on the skirting last. This way you can add more squares if needed. When you get to the end of the seam, leave about an inch opening. Next, sew the vertical seam down the side of the patchwork squares. Trim the edge of that seam and finish the edge with a zig zag stitch. Then go back and finish attaching the skirting to the upcycled top.
Spring is right around the corner! Whip up a patchwork dress to wear on the Equinox!
