Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Knocking Off Dottie Angel




I've run into this charming floral smock here and there on the internet; it's from an Etsy shop called Dottie Angel. It's not currently available for sale, but I thought it would be fun to put one together myself.


 For a jumping-off point I used a simple, over-the-head sundress pattern with side ties. Since I wanted short kimono sleeves (or wide cap sleeves: I'm not sure where you draw the line), I laid a different pattern over the shoulder to get that in place. Then I picked out a large pocket from an apron pattern, and put it all together.


 The smock works because of the careful placement of the casings. In the front, there are two casings for the drawstrings, and they are out towards the side seams. In back, the casing is centered across most of the dress. Keeping a smooth front is so much more flattering than gathering all the way across the middle.

You can see that I added a center back seam so I could make a sway-back adjustment and remove the extra fabric from the curve of the back. I used bias binding to finish the neckline, and narrow-hemmed the sleeves.

This makes a sweet and perky housedress!



10 comments:

Black Kettle said...

Love It!

Vintage Rose said...

Oh my goodness... That dress is gorgeous! You are so clever:)

Anonymous said...

You must share what pattern you used! It is adorable

From Carolyn in alabama

Lisa said...

I so love this, Anna!! I had pinned the exact image I know you're referring to. Hers looks a little higher waisted, but you have figured it out! And I thank you for doing the figuring - I really want one of these, and now I'll just follow your directions.
I love your color combinations, too. It's perfect in every way!

Lisateresa

Wendy said...

Love it! I didn't even know Dotty Angel had an etsy shop! But I have always loved her apron frocks. I'm going to try it.

Margo said...

oh wow, LOVE this. Looks like such a comfy dress for summer housework. I bet this would work great for my daughter, too.

Kristin said...

How fun! I think I follow Dottie on Instagram. Cute!

Elizabeth said...

Hello Anna,

Ever since I found your blog I have enjoyed combing through your sewing projects. Perhaps you could do a post on finding fabric? I have several ideas of garments that I would like to sew, but I do not have much of a fabric "stash" and live about an hour away from the nearest Jo-anns. If you have any thoughts on buying apparel fabric such as favorite brands, stores (even online stores?) I would be love to hear!

Anonymous said...

The sleeves are somewhat different - the original just has spaces left for the arms rather than longer sleeves as yours has. Other than that, it's spot on.

Unknown said...

What pattern did you use for the sundress? Yours is beautiful!

Related Posts with Thumbnails