My baby sister got married this summer and even though Covid-19 has shaped 2020 in ways we never imagined at this time last year, I am grateful that my sister still got to have a beautiful, perfect summer wedding and that our family was able to be there with her.
I made the girls flower dresses early in the year and hemmed them a month or so before the wedding date. After that I made a dress for myself and Simplicity 9013 caught my eye. Although long sleeved, I thought it would be nice in a lightweight fabric for a summer wedding. It's a simple style I probably didn't really need a pattern for but it was nice to only have to worry about sewing this instead of mocking up and fitting a lot.
I bought some mustard yellow seersucker and some pink cotton eyelet from Hobby Lobby and in the end decided to use the seersucker - which I am glad for! It is much lighterweight than the eyelet. Any ideas for 5 yards of heavy-ish dusty pink eyelet? :D
I made the pattern pretty straight as-is with no modifications for fitting besides shortening the skirt length a bit. I probably could have taken some length out of the bodice but it worked. It's a bit blousy, and pulling the bodice down low enough to make it not very blousy pulled the high waistline down and made the dress tight across the hips. So, next time, I will take out maybe 1.5" in length on the bodice.
I added a sash in the side seams to cover up a bit of wonky work when I installed the back invisible zipper.
The dress is completely unlined which helps make it very light and airy and all the seams were serged and most of them topstitched in matching yellow thread. I had to wear a slip underneath so wore the underdress I made to go with my Summer Solstice kaftan dress.
I love the vintage vibes this style has and it was an elegant dress to wear. I have, however, not worn it again since the day of the wedding! I think it's definitely a dress-up style versus an everyday one due to the slim skirt. If I made this again in a shorter length and bigger skirt size I think I'd wear it for everyday.
The world is cold and icy now in mid December. It is fun to go back and look at these pictures from just a few months ago. What a happy time it was! 2020 has certainly been a difficult year but it has had some very special and beautiful moments. In this last picture, I am wearing a ring from each of my grandmothers, so I felt their presence their with us. My Grammie passed in 1995 and I have had her engagement ring since my 10th birthday. My Grandma Judy passed in July of this year and when I arrived in Illinois the day before my sisters wedding my mother gave me the ring my grandma had worn when she went into hospice. It was very special to have both to wear to my sisters wedding.
Much love,
Sarah
