Ever heard of Lilly Pulitzer? Haha, well, I'm sure it has run across many people's radar, especially when Target started carrying its limited edition Lilly Pulitzer line that
sold out within hours. Needless to say, the brand's bright and cheery aesthetic are quite popular!
I don't know if I could pull of such a sun-shiney look everyday, but I was inspired by the summery feel it embodies. So, instead of pinching my pennies to save up for one of the iconic frocks, I decided to make my own!
I was inspired specifically by vintage Lilly Pulitzer:
Modern Lilly Pulitzer maxi dresses:
And exposed zippers!
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| I love the subtle hint of gold! This is the Lilly Pulitzer Penelope Shift Dress (no longer available online). |
I already owned
Burda 7056, and I loved thought the maxi dress in view C would work perfectly:
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| I actually love all the views in this pattern, it was hard to just pick one! |
So I got to work, and this is what I came up with:
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| The front |
The dress turned out less form-fitting than I thought it would be, giving a very column-like shape. But I have to say, the simplicity of it grew on me! I appreciate how the simple design balances out the colorful, busy pattern of the fabric.
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| The back zipper |
There are a couple ways to put in an exposed zipper, but I chose
Keightly Studio's tutorial. Their version exposes only a bit of the sides (rather than laying the zipper completely on the outside) and includes top-stitching.
I truly wish I could put an exposed zipper on everything I make, but they can be quite pricey! I bought this zipper from
Hancock Fabrics and it is normally sold for $20, although I purchase it with a coupon :-P
And for funsies, more of my zipper (I'm so in love with it!):
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| Close up of the top of the zipper. |
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| Close up of the bottom of the zipper |
This pattern was extraordinarily easy to sew and I would highly recommend it to any sewist, beginning or otherwise. Truly, the hardest part was installing the exposed zipper and I elected to do that myself!
I chose to do the dress in a lovely cotton by
Tina Givens (unfortunately not sold online! But you can occassionally find her fabric listed on
Fabric.com and
Etsy). The cotton was easy to work with but has ended up driving me a little crazy with wrinkling (especially after sitting in the dress)! If I made it again, I would use a more wrinkle-resistant material and with perhaps a little less structure.
As a fitting note, I ended up taking in the sides near my hips, making that area 1 to 2 sizes smaller than was originally cut out. The dress was a bit too tent-like for my taste at first, but I believe part of that was how it was designed. Either way, altering it is easy as the seams are quite simple!
Well, that's all I have! If you have any questions, input, or comments, let me know!
Until next time,
-The Gretchen
