Spring Swing Dress

It’s official, I’ve finally completed my Spring Swing Dress.

I’d first like to give a shout out to my husband Felix, who’s cooked all our dinners so I could finish it up by the ‘deadline’ and has also graciously helped me pin the hem up. He usually does a lot of sighing and gruffing while doing the hem, but he does it like a pro now (mainly because he has to do so much). heh

And of course the beautiful and talented Casey and the ever knowledgeable sew-along group!!! I would never have gotten through the shoulder seam and the sleeve ease without her wonderful posts and all of your pictures and comments on the flickr group.

This is dress is my first experience in sewing with 100% silk fabric, and I think it turned out pretty fair. There are a few minor issues, but I doubt anyone else will even notice them but me. I’ve learned a lot about this slippery fabric, and hope to share my tips/finding with you all very soon.

While I love this fabric, and it’s perfect for both spring and fall, I’m not sure that it works with this style dress. I feel like my waistband detail gets lost in the floral print. Next time I make it, I’ll be using a solid fabric instead. I’d love to make it as a fall dress with 3/4 sleeve in a light wool crepe.

Today was the first warm day we’ve had in Chicago this year. It got all the way up to a balmy 65 degrees. I didn’t even need a coat! It made taking pictures all the easier; I was truly dreading taking photos in a silk dress in 35 degree weather, so it was a nice surprise.

Felix and I stayed local but he got a lot of diverse shots with buildings and parks. It made for a fun lunch break.

I’m trying to point to the subway line I take into work, the always crowded, but lovely blue line. heh

The only major modifications I did was to shorten the sleeve length, reduce the sleeve ease by a few inches, shorten the waist band piece by 2″, and I reduced the amount of gathers in the front shoulder and waist seams.

This is a park near the Art Institute of Chicago, very near to where I work. It’s really serene here in the summer, but unfortunately it’s still very grey and dull from the winter.

If you’ve found your way from Casey’s blog here, I had fun making this dress with you all. The flickr group saved me from making some terrible mistakes. So thank you!

And, as always, to leave you with something completely silly…