Today is all about a modified Summer Dawn Wrap Dress and this amazing rayon spandex from Phee Fabrics. I have made a couple of Summer Dawn’s in woven during testing and I could not believe how much I loved them. The pattern was originally written for knits so I decided to give it a try in this beautiful burgundy rayon spandex.
For this dress, as stated above, I used the Summer Dawn Wrap Dress from Striped Swallow Designs as the base. Since this is a heavily modified version, I would like to share a little about how I modified it.
First, I wanted a slim fit sleeve so I decided to use the Harbor Knot sleeves. I cut them about an inch above the 3/4 sleeve cut line so that I could add a flounce to give the dress even more flair. I added the flounce from the Rulo pattern by George and Ginger. Since I used the Harbor Knot sleeves instead of the sleeves from the Summer Dawn dress, I needed to adjust the armsyce. In order to get the front and back bodices drafted correctly, I did not cut out my pattern after I taped it. I placed the Harbor Knot pattern underneath and traced the armcyse and front shoulder as needed. This is how the armcyse on my new pattern pieces look.
When it came to drafting the skirt, I modified it by shortening the skirt by 3″. Next, I drew a curve on the front “corners” of the skirt. This will allow for a much smoother ruffle when attached.
For the ruffle, I cut my fabric 6″ long by 150″ wide for a size XS. You will need 3 stripes of fabric, sewn together on the short ends. Once sewn, fold in half lengthwise and then sew a gathering stitch along the long end through both layers of fabric. Gather your ruffle to fit the bottom of the skirt and up the sides. You could also cut your ruffle 3″ long and leave a raw edge
I constructed the bodice according to the directions provided, except for the sleeves. I attached the sleeves to the bodice just like you would attach any sleeves to a bodice. If needed, reference the Harbor Knot pattern on how to attach the sleeves. Then I attached the flounce to the bottom of the sleeve. I did this by finding the center of the bottom of the sleeve as well as the center of the flounce and attached. Since I’m using very nice knit fabric, I skipped hemming the flounce. Skipping this step doesn’t take away too much from the look of the dress. After I attached the sleeves and flounces, I continued with the pattern instructions until the skirt construction.
I sewed the skirt sides together as per the pattern. Then I added the gathered ruffle and attached the skirt to the bodice per the instructions. And voilá…you are done! Put on your new dress and feel beautiful. You did it.
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