Today we’re welcoming one of the new sewing team members, Ren, who has made a lovely and modern Pristine Swing dress. Keep reading for more…
Hello, all! I’m Ren Murphy, proud new member of the Blank Slate Sewing Team. You can usually find me at The Inspired Wren where I share inspired sewing, crochet, and craft projects. Today, I’m here to show you the dress that quickly became my daughter’s favorite.
Sometimes you want to take a pattern and make it your own with an alteration or hack even the designer hasn’t thought of. Then there the times you are perfectly happy to sew a pattern exactly as written highlighting the fabric on hand. This is one of those times; this is the Pristine Swing Dress.
My model, The Peanut, had a ready to wear, knit swing dress with three-quarter sleeves. It was one of those pieces that she and I both reached for straight out of the dryer. And then she quickly outgrew it. We were "in the market," so to speak, for a solid replacement. We have found it!
I was lucky enough to sew this one with complimentary fabrics of my choice from Art Gallery Fabrics. Through painstaking process of elimination -- always the most difficult part of any project for me -- I honed in on Imprint by Katarina Roccella. The knit body of the swing dress is "Morse Dot Blu," with "Morse Dot Ash" as the perfect woven accent. The hand and drape of this knit is so lovely and soft, dreamy to work with. The Peanut is adorably cuddly and comfortable while looking splendidly chic at the same time. What more could you ask from a fabric?
The Peanut is a tall, skinny beanpole; not always so easy to fit. Typically I'll sew one size wide by another size (or two) tall. Then the outfit will fit her perfectly right off of the machine, but will quickly grow too small. Here I've sewn a straight size 5, though she measures more closely to a 3 wide. It sits loose through the shoulders, as I expected, leaving lots of room for her to grow. The length is lovely as a dress for now and I'm hopeful she'll be able to continue to wear this until it sits at tunic length. Tell me, do you prefer to sew with room to grow or to sew with a perfect fit right off the machine?
