Beautiful And Stylish Simplicity!
An exciting time is upon us. It’s almost holiday season and with that, comes parties.
Don’t spend forever worrying over what to wear, and don’t, as a fashion sewer, be drawn into the stampede at your local retail stores.
I know how busy and demanding this time of year can be, so let me take some of the worry away and introduce you to this quick, simple yet beautifully stylish little dress.
A real head turner that DOESN’T take an age to make.
Welcome to Fashion Sewing Blog’s next Sew-Along, the Butterick B4343 Lined Dress.
The Sewing Pattern!
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I have chosen this particular sewing project as the dress is a timeless piece (ideal for the celebrity in you) and this sew-along is a must for any fashion sewing beginner. I have chosen to make the classic sleeveless dress with princess line shaping.
There are four separate styles of dress (see above) for this sewing pattern and I shall be making VIEW B, which is the dress on the left hand side of the sewing pattern envelope.
The dress patterns come in two lengths – mid knee or full length (evening) with a choice of symmetrical or asymmetrical neckline variations. All dresses are sleeveless with a side seam zip / zipper fastening for views A and B and centre back seam zip /zipper for views C and D.
For a more in depth look at this specific pattern, including line drawings, then click – The Butterick B4343 Lined Dress Sewing Pattern.
The Fabrics!
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The choice of fabric you choose to complete this sewing project is entirely yours. Here is a small list (with links) of possible suggestions -
Let me know what fabric you decide to use. Will it be one from this list or maybe a completely different fabric choice altogether?
The Notions!
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Zip / Zipper (16inches) for views A and B
Zip / Zipper (24inches) for views C and D
Seam Binding
Sewing Machine Needle
Suitable Thread for your Fabric
Twill Tape (optional)
Tools Required For My Sew-Along!
sewing project sewing pattern sewing for beginners
Paper Scissors (for cutting the tissue sewing pattern)
Fabric Scissors
Thread Scissors
Hand Sewing Needle
Thread
Oh, and your Sewing Machine of course!
If you feel you need any more help preparing for this next project, please do not hesitate to contact me.
You may also want to read ‘A Checklist For Completing Sewing Projects‘ which I wrote to assist any fashion sewer undertaking a sewing project.
If you wish to join me next week and want to be ready for part 1 of this sew-along, please remember to first -
1 – Cut out your sewing pattern pieces, and if they are creased, give them a press with a warm iron.
2 – Tissue fit the sewing pattern and make any neccesary alterations.
3 – Make sure that your pattern pieces are placed onto the fabric grain lines correctly.
4 – Cut out your fabric using your fabric scissors, transfering all of the pattern markings.
I do hope to see you in a weeks time where we will complete a dress that requires limited time where the end result is almost priceless.
Ready to start? Click – Sewing Project – The Butterick B4343 Lined Dress
Happy fashion sewing
Colleen G Lea
Oh yes please!! I’m still in the midst of sewing costumes for my student’s dance recital but should finish by mid next week (considering the recital is that Sat! AHH!) I might join late but I’m definitely sewing up one of these babies (view A for me)- perfect as I was JUST thinking that I needed a New Year’s Dress!! Thanks for the inspiration!!
Thanks so much for getting in touch. Good luck with getting those costumes finished and it’s great to hear you’ll be making the dress. Don’t forget to upload a photo of the finished article to my Sewingista Gallery. It would be great to see how it looks.