When life gives you lemons… make a dress! And then burst into tears.
I posted a little teaser yesterday of a DIY project I had done… and here it is!
I saw this fabric the other day when I was shopping with my mom at the fabric store, and it reminded me of the lemon print dresses that I’ve seen mentioned around the blogosphere lately. And since I’m pretty sure most incarnations of that dress are well over my budget, I decided to make my own version.
I am pretty happy with how it turned out! I tend to really hate sewing, so when I say that the pattern is easy, you can bet it’s not going to be too complicated. And when I say I actually want to make more dresses, you know it wasn’t that hard! For those of you who are sewing mavens (or not), here is the pattern I used (dress A) and I tweaked it a little to get crossed straps in the back.
I do have to admit, though, that my mom ended up finishing the dress– putting in the zipper and hemming it up– because by the time I got to the zipper it had been five straight hours of working on the dress and, being as how I dislike sewing, I was at my wit’s end when a little error came up. So, being the girl that I am, I got frustrated and near-tears (I was also in a hurry to finish so I could wear it to go see Mr. Owl), and my mom graciously offered to put in the zipper.
She’s the best.
I want to make more of this dress, in these patterns:
As you can see, I have a huge love for quirky patterns. I especially love the hedgehogs (# 4), and the strawberries (#3) and the second mushroom print (#6). If you want to see even MORE fabrics I want to make dresses out of, you can click the picture. I happened to pin 87 swatches of fabric… today. I may start on some sort of sewing craze, here. Which is weird, because I’ve never liked sewing.
I have already started on another dress from some fabric I found at the thrift store today (yes, I know, I’m doing SO well sticking to my 30×30), using the same pattern (but dress D), but this time around I’m going to make myself only work on it little by little so that I don’t end up getting frustrated and tired by the end. It should be a much happier sewing experience this time around.
Hopefully.
{Self-Made} Dress: $27.64 (this includes fabric, zipper, and pattern) | {Walmart} Sandals: $10 | {Thrifted} Belt: $0.99 | {Free} Jacket (gift)
I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday! Happy first day of summer!
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23 Comments
mariecarolk
This is beautiful! I love sewing so so much. I saw all your fabric pins yesterday. I may have had a bit of a these-are-all-amazing-I-want-to-sew-something-right-now heart attack…if that makes any sense 🙂
Marie
Mara
Sewing this dress, even though it ended in almost-tears, made me want to make more! Especially after finding all those really cute fabrics online. I may do a dress-a-week thing for the summer, and then by the end of the summer I’ll have lots of really cute sundresses.
Don’t have a heart attack. 😀
Demy
Hi!! And WOW!!! I really love how this dress turned out! You totally pull off weird patterns like they’re nothing unusual! And yay for mommas, they always have a solution for everything 😛 By the way, your nails are so cute <3 Many many kisses! :*
Mara
Thank you!
Hah, my nail polish was peeling off at this point! But at least they look cute in the pictures. 😀 Thank you!
Mereana Beconcini
Cute dress! I don’t have the patience for sewing but wish I did. Look forward to seeing more cute dresses with these gorgeous prints 🙂
Mara
Thank you! I don’t have much patience for sewing, either, but this pattern was so easy I was able to finish it up quickly.
Comy
Congratulations! I am so happy for you! 😀 Is that weird?
Anyway, the dress is beautiful, and I look forward to seeing more of your work! 🙂
Mara
Haha! It’s not weird to me. I definitely need congratulations when I finish sewing, because I NEVER finish my sewing projects. 😀
Salazar
OK, that dress is ridiculously cute. I just had a couple of dresses made at a tailor, and that, along with your dress, made me really wish I could sew… but then again I probably won’t have the patience for it.
I love the elephant prints, but the hedgehog one is adorable too.
Mara
I have very little patience for sewing, but this pattern was super easy so it only tried my patience at the very end. 😀
I really need the hedgehog fabric. So badly.
Steph
So cute!
Mara
Thank you!
kelly loh
Love love love love love!! I have a thing for quirky prints too, and these are awesome. I especially love the hedgehogs! and the giraffes and elephants and the circus tents =) Perhaps I’ll start sewing again, lol
Mara
The site I found all the fabrics on made me want to sew MUCH more! It definitely helps when you have cute fabrics to use!
Ester Durães
I have a lemon dress from Primark but I gotta say yours looks so much better! I love it, amazing DIY! 🙂
Mara
Why, thank you! I think I’ve seen the one from Primark, and I think it’s super pretty!
Jamie K
I love this! I’m so jealous of your sewing acumen – I don’t know how to do anything like that!
The Blue Hour
Mara
Believe me, if my mother hadn’t forced me to learn when I got to be about ten, I wouldn’t know how to sew either! I still am not fond of it, but this particular pattern was pretty easy. 🙂
Meanz Chan
Girl, it looks amazing! I love the pattern and the dress itself! You make me want to start sewing more. I really love it. I just need to sit down and make a damn dress already! Haha
Mara
Thank you!
Hah, yeah. My second project isn’t going quite as well as this one. I really just have to sew when I feel like it, or I never get anything done!
Adriana Glass
So beautiful! Love the dress, and your blog 🙂 And don’t worry – I like to sew and I get myself in a twist when I get to the end too – which always somehow manages to be a naughty zipper!
Mara
Thank you!
Yeah, the zipper is definitely the hardest part! That’s where I turn to my mom and beg her to finish it for me. 😉
Jamie Rose
This dress is awesome!! You make me want to learn to sew so I can make cute things like this. The print is adorable and the shape is classic and flattering. You did a great job on it.