Sew Serendipity: Fall 2014 Collection: Meet Isabella!

knee length, short sleeves, sweetheart neckline

Moda Gardenvale fabric featured

It's that time of year again! I am not sure where summer went, but it was full of activity and fun. Now the light outside is beginning to change and the leaves are falling. Hopefully, the temps in Texas will be too, soon. It is October, after all!

I have been hard at work getting the fall designs together and today I reveal the first of three designs, the Isabella Dress! A version of this dress has been floating around in my brain for a while and it was finally time to get it into fabric. It is a VERY retro shirtdress design with a curved waistline, gathered bodice, and princess seaming in the skirt. I decided to provide a couple of neckline options: V-neck or sweetheart. The front bodice of either works beautifully with the rest of the pattern pieces, so there is only one facing and front to worry about changing out to switch the look. There are also two different length set-in sleeves and a variety of skirt lengths to suit whatever look you are after.

I found that this dress is a fantastic companion piece for a jacket, as its slim silhouette works well underneath. Depending on the design details and fabric you choose, you can have a wonderful casual tunic to wear with leggings or an elegant dress with heels, and really anything in between. I would say that my favorite length for this dress is the knee length, but I really like the way it stitched up in every length.

Even though this design is rather slim, the A-line princess seaming in the skirt and elevated waistline are truly flattering. You won't believe how skinny this dress can make you look!

You will see that the waistline is accented with tiny piping. If you haven't ever made or sewn with piping, it is really easy, so don't let that distract you. All you will need is a zipper foot and some cording and you'll be good to go! You also have the option to finish out the front with buttons or snaps. I added snaps to the butterfly fabric tunic and they were so easy to install. I love the look and ease of wear with snaps. I think I'll definitely be using more of them in the future!

If you have never worked with snaps, I highly recommend that you check out Snap Source. They have wonderful snaps and their tool is THE BEST, hands down. No clumsy pliers that only work about half the time....check them out! You won't be sorry.

This dress works well in a variety of fabrics. I suggest cotton, cotton lawn or voile, rayon, silk, or lightweight linen. There are other wovens that I am sure I am not thinking of now that would also work well, but this is a good starting list for fabrics to consider for the design.

So, here are some variations of the new dress along with design details and fabric info.

The new stock should be here NEXT WEEK (week of Oct. 13), so we'll be working to get the new designs up on the website for you to order.