Kersoe Hack

We recently went on vacation.  Like the good dressmaker that I am, that sent me into a frantic "I have nothing to wear!"  Seems like the only time I prioritize sewing for myself lately is pre-vacation.

Also, I got a Silhouette Cameo for Christmas and I wanted to try and make some fun family tees for vacation.  That's a post for another day, but important to this story.  See, I stopped into Old Navy to purchase some plain tee shirts.  While I was there, I noticed All.The.Gingham they had in stock.  Darling dress and flirty tops.

This boring beige gingham dress totally caught my eye.  I think I was planning how to make it myself before I was really even out of the store.  I sent Carolyn photos from the car and then started thinking about where I would start.

I tested the Kersoe top for Jenny way back when.  yep - it's in blogging back-log and on the side of my closet with clothes that still need photos.  But when I got home, I tried that puppy on again, just to make sure it fit like I thought it did.

It did!  And the wide straps would be so much better for being in the kitchen in the morning cooking.  The lining felt like the right place to cut for adding a gathered skirt.

So, this is what I did:

• Retraced the Kersoe top a size smaller than what I had originally tested; 
• Took an additional 3/4" out of the back for a swayback adjustment;
• Forgot to take a smidge out of the center front;
• Cut both the front and the back on the fold;
• Shortened the bodice pieces another inch and half at the sides, curving to an inch at the center front (will add that half back at center front, if I do this again);
• Remembered to add my label to the back lining;
• Sewed the bodice and lining together at the neckline;
• basted the armholes together, trimmed away the seam allowance and then added bias binding;
• left the bias binding visible on the public side of the dress.

 After adding pockets to the skirt front, I then gathered two widths of the fabric to the bodice, hemmed it and then went on vacation.

While on vacation, the dress was gushed over because it has pockets

And then on the very last day of vacation, even though I tried a few times before then, I made my daughter take the camera when we went to Mukilteo for lunch before coming home. 

This dress made from orange gingham from the fabric closet might be a little too sheer with the sun behind me. But that's not going to stop me from wearing it!

What I will do next time is:

• narrow the center front just a smidge - like 1/4" just to keep the straps from wanting to slip off my shoulders
• Use 3 or more widths of fabric for the skirt.  While there is plenty of room, this dress doesn't feel as floating as some of the others I have made where the skirt is just 2 widths of fabric.

So, how did I do?  I think my dress is better than the Old Navy inspiration dress for a couple reasons: 

• those spaghetti straps wouldn't be good
• the color would make me look nekkid