Happy 4th of July everyone! Today is the day I share with you, my #4thofJulyProudDressProject I made for the Colors of the Flag challenge.
#4thOfJulyProudDress
As you might recall I was helping co-host the Colors of the Flag Challenge along with Renta from Running In Style, Judith of Judith Dee’s World and Bianca of Vintage on Tap.
The idea behind the sew-along was t0 show off your patriotism by making a dress or outfit representing your country or culture.
To participate all you had to do was post your make online between July 1st and the 7th with the hashtag #4thofJulyProudDressProject or #FlagsOfTheWorldDressProject.
Usually, for a project like this, I go all out with a big frilly dress or something. However, I wanted to wear this outfit on the 4th of July, and for me, the 4th of July usually involves going to the lake or park and setting out in the grass watching fireworks. Therefore it would be most practical to make something I could run around in and well, wear with a pair of jeans or shorts.
The Lily Blouse
For this project, I choose to use the Lily Blouse from Coco Wawa Crafts.
The pattern features a coon-shaped dress or blouse version. Personally, I don’t think the dress would suit my figure, but the blouse I feel in love with. In fact, I bought this pattern the day it was released and the sailor collar is what really sold me on it.
This pattern worked perfectly for this project as I wanted to use both the striped fabric and the nautical star fabric together in some fashion. I also feel like the sailor style is very 4th of July, I’m not sure why I just feel like it works together super well.
The Construction
Before making this blouse I actually made a wearable toile of the pattern. I cut a straight size 5 and it fit perfectly. The only alteration I made was sewing the sleeve side seam at 1/4 inch instead of the 3/8-inch to give a tad bit more room to my arm.
When it came time to make my 4th of July version of this pattern, I discovered that the striped fabric was a vertical stripe, not a horizontal stripe. Meaning the stretch of the fabric was going to the wrong way.
To be able to cut the fabric with horizontal stripes and it still fit, I decided to add a 1/2 inch to all the side seams. This gave the top just the right amount of ease. In fact, it was a little much on the back seam so I ended up sewing that up at 1/2-inch instead of the 3/8-inch.
For the sleeves, I decided to do a slash and spread down the center of the sleeve pattern and add a full 1-inch to the sleeve. This worked perfectly giving me a good amount of room around my arms.
After adjusting the sleeve, I also had to add the corresponding 1-inch to the collar pieces to fit the new circumference of the top.
| Sewing Summary | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | July 2, 2017 |  |
||||
| Pattern: | Coco Wawa Crafts – Lily Blouse | |||||
| Version: | Blouse | |||||
| Size: | Size 5 | |||||
| Notes & Modification: | 1/2 -inch added to side seams due to stretch in the fabric. 1-inch added to sleeves. | |||||
| Recommendations: | Size 5 good fit overall, 1/4 inch seam allowance to sleeve helps give arms more room | |||||
| Difficulty: | Beginer | Ratting: | ||||
Fave Feature
My fave feature of this project has to be the sailor collar and the way which the fabric contrast with each other. The very patriotic look of the top is exactly what I wanted.
I love this top so much I might just wear it throughout summer and not just on the 4th of July. After all, there’s always flag day, Memorial day, Veteran’s Day, Election day, I can get a lot of wear out of it I’m sure.
Your Colors of the Flag Make
Remember you still have time to share your Colors of the Flag make. Be sure to get your make posted by July 7th using the hashtag #4thofJulyProudDressProject or #FlagsOfTheWorldDressProject.
By participating in this challenge you’ll be entered to win one of our great give away prizes and be a part of our video montage. So be sure to share your makes!
Add comment