Just in time for the end of summer, I’ve made a tropical-print summer dress! Actually, I’ll probably wear it all year… And it feels like summer has only just begun!
This is the Sewaholic Saltspring in Suno Tropical Knit. I debated making this for a while because I wasn’t sure if it would be super flattering, as I don’t have the curviest of figures. But almost everything I wear is a blouse-y shirt tucked into a skirt, so I did it. Because I made it out of a knit, and therefore did not need a zipper, this dress went pretty quickly! I found this blog post from Sewaholic to be extremely helpful.
Here are the guts:
In the pattern, only the top is lined. The outer bodice layer is longer than the lining, which creates the blousing. The tropical print is pretty translucent, and I don’t need everyone oogling at my adorable underwear, so I also lined the skirt. Basically, I underlined it. I don’t need that riding up if I wear the dress with tights. The fabric color is lighter in this picture than it is in real life, but the fabric is this gorgeous charcoal rayon knit. And I hemmed nothing! This makes the skirt heavier, but I am very okay with that.
I have no photos of it, but I stabilized the neckline with twill tape. I stitched it to the lining, and caught it again when I understitched the top. The straps are grosgrain. The pattern has straps that tie, but that would bother me if I wore a cardigan or something.
It drives me crazy when bloggers show a side view with their arm in the way!
And a back view with their hair in the way!
Anyway, I love this print, and I love this dress! It’s very comfortable. I don’t sew with knits too often, but I found this tropical knit very easy to work with. I think the polyester in it helped it slide under the presser foot easily. I also hardly ever use polyester, but this one is soft and not gross-feeling. I made a Eucalypt tank with this fabric, and I love it, but the fabric is pilling. The nice thing is, no matter how many blueberry pancakes I eat, the fabric hasn’t stained.
Happy sewing!