An Easter Lady Skater Dress

Happy Friday! I'm back today to share the Easter dress I made for my sister, Miss K. She is 14 years old and starting to fit into the smallest end of women's sizes, so I made her the Lady Skater dress in size 2.

I have posted many times before (here, here, here, and here) about my love of the Lady Skater dress, and I really don't have anything new to say. It is a great dress! My Lady Skater dresses are still in heavy rotation in my wardrobe, so I thought it would be the perfect dress for my sister. She wore it for Easter, but it will be a great dress to wear throughout the summer as well.

The fabric is Liverpool knit from my favorite fabric store, Raspberry Creek Fabrics. I had never sewn with Liverpool before, but it wasn't too difficult. It is textured on the right side and smooth on the wrong side. It was a bit slippery, making the hemming a challenge, but I just needed to go slow and be patient with the fabric. :)

I am still learning about fitting all the time. It is one thing to fit patterns to yourself and another for other people. I could've shortened the bodice on this and there is some extra fabric in the sleeve area,  but overall, it's not a bad start. It will fit her for awhile at least!

~Elizabeth

Pineapple Lady Skater

Hello! I have a new Lady Skater dress to show you made in pineapple knit fabric! I have been eyeing this pineapple fabric from Girl Charlee for a long time. My mom surprised me with it after I finished all my finals a few weeks ago and I decided to make a new dress for myself.

Black Concert Dress

 

I made another Lady Skater Dress. This pattern is so great! Each time I make it I like it even more! I have been in orchestra for about 2 years and we are required to wear all black for our concerts. I had been wearing a black shirt and skirt, but I've been wanting a black dress for a long time.

 

I went to Joann Fabrics on Black Friday and found some crushed panne velour on sale for $2.99/yd. I decided to buy the black for a Lady Skater concert dress!

 

This dress was fun to make, but there were plenty of challenges along the way. First, I have never sewn with panne velour. It is a knit fabric with a 40 percent stretch and you have to press it on the wrong side. It can be slippery, so pins are a must especially for the neckline! I did not catch part of the neckline when sewing and had to use my seam ripper. It's hard to use a seam ripper on this fabric especially when the thread is the same exact color! It all worked out though and the fabric is pretty forgiving.

 

Here's a close up of the dress. It's hard to tell here, but I used the wrong side of the fabric for the neckband and arm cuffs. I ran into some problems with the arm cuffs. The right one went on perfectly! The left one was slipping a lot and so it is a little crooked. It's not noticeable when I'm wearing it (except by me).

 

I didn't have any clear elastic left, so I used 1/4 inch regular knit elastic. It worked fine, although the seam is somewhat bulky. That may be partly due to the fabric too.

 

Here you can see the arm cuff where I used the wrong side of the fabric. I love experimenting with using the wrong side of the fabric which usually isn't seen. It works great here!

 

I was able to wear my new dress for our Christmas concert on Dec. 8th. I'm planning on wearing it lots more too and not just for concerts. Black dresses are so versatile.

 

~Elizabeth

P.S. I also chopped off 11 inches of hair! My little sister and I donated our hair, and I love my new style. I haven't had a major haircut for a couple years and the change feels so great!

Lady Skater #2

 

I've decided that the Lady Skater is my new favorite pattern! This is my second one and I love wearing it! I sewed this a couple weekends ago on a rainy Saturday afternoon. I should've been studying, but my sewing machine and this pattern were calling my name!

 

This time, I decided to make the 3/4 length sleeve version and use two fabrics. The turquoise knit is my favorite color and it was given to me for free from a friend back home. She was getting rid of her stash and thought I would like it. At the time, I had no idea what to make with it, but this dress was perfect! I wanted to make the entire dress out of the turquoise, but there was only enough for the skirt. I love how it turned out with two fabrics though!

 

The bodice was made with a cotton knit from The Fabric Fairy. I planned on using it for a top, but it went great with the skirt fabric.



Close up of the sleeve cuff and bodice fabric.

 

This is the inside of the dress.The turquoise knit is textured on the right side, but it is smooth on the wrong side. It is also very stretchy, as it stretches both ways.

My house at college is very old, so I decided to have fun taking some "vintage" style photos.

 



I don't play the piano, but I thought this was a fun set-up for an "old" photo!

The Lady Skater is such a great pattern and it is so comfortable to wear! I'm planning on making more...pretty soon I'll have too many dresses!  

 

Have you tried any new patterns lately?

 

I'm linking up with Project Sewn, for the final week and Signature Style challenge. This dress describes my style perfectly - I love the color turquoise, I live in skirts and dresses all the time and I like to wear comfortable clothes. I could wear this everday and be happy!

 

~Elizabeth