Floral Silk - A Rita Blouse Dress Hack

This dress was actually my first make of 2019 and guys, it's a PRINT! WHO EVEN AM I THIS YEAR??!!!

I love prints, I truely do, but when I put fabric under a needle, inevitably it is a solid colour.

In fact, last year I made 19 garments and only ONE of them sort of qualified as a print. So I'm feeling VULNERABLE right now.

The Pattern

It's the Rita Blouse by Charm Patterns hacked into a dress. I've done it before in a bright red cotton seersucker which you can see below:

View this post on Instagram

Ciao a tutti! 💃🏻💃🏻 Looking a bit #italian 🇮🇹 in my DRESS HACK of the #ritablouse by @gertie18 ✔️ traced pattern to waistline markings. ✔️converted darts to princess seams on my skirt pattern which I attached to the bodice to make a dress pattern. ✔️comfortable cotton seersucker ✔️ added flounce to hemline ✔️side zipper and different pattern pieces for cup size B-DD. . THIS dress is quick and comfortable. So expect to see this in a million different colours this summer. K thanks. . . . #thelittlereddressproject #reddress #sewing #sewersofinstagram #memade #charmpatterns #hack #offtheshoulder

A post shared by Julia Bobbin (@juliabobbin) on Dec 8, 2018 at 8:10pm PST

The Fabric

My sister recently got married and for her hen's (bachelorette) night, the theme was floral. I love a good theme and decided to make my own dress.

I had this beautiful, delicate silk chiffon in my stash that seemed perfect, but being chiffon it was super sheer and thin.

I decided to underline it with a cotton poplin to give it body and stop it from being see-through and it worked a treat! The poplin also helped the colour of the silk look even more vibrant.

The Details

This dress is underlined but not lined. It closes with an invisible zipper down the side seam and is finished with a flounce at the hem.

The bodice is gathered under the bust and centre back yoke, and shaped with ELASTIC around the neckline.

The SLEEVES can be worn on or off the shoulders depending on the look or mood.

I added a few SOFT PLEATS to the centre front of the bodice yoke to give the neckline more of a sweetheart shape.

Final Thoughts

This dress feels light and comfortable, but has that glamorous touch that gives the garment that little 'extra'.
It has already become one of my most worn me-mades and is the perfect 'day to night' transition dress.

Here's to more printed fabrics in my future!