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Looking for a super-cute garment you can make in just a couple hours? Try my Square Deal dress project that’s now on the Sewing Republic site. The dress is custom-made to your measurements and uses interlock knit for just the right fit. Make the dress as long or short as you like. It could make a great floor-length dress in a fancy knit or even a tissue knit for the perfect beach-ready frock.
Nik
Nicole Smith is an author, editor, designer, and instructor who lives in Brooklyn, New York. Check out her latest book, Skirt-A-Day Sewing, out now at your local bookstore, or online.
13 Comments
Hello there,
Hey. My name is Nik, Etsy merchandiser by day and designer, author, and teacher by night. For more about me, click here.
Elsewhere
Bookshelf (Titles by me)
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Skirt-A-Day by Nicole Smith Storey Publishing (Shipping June 2013) |
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Dorm Decor by Theresa Gonzalez and Nicole Smith Chronicle Books |
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Fashion DIY by Carrie Blaydes and Nicole Smith Sixth & Spring Books |
Love this dress, but I’m a little confused with the directions. I see where it says to sew the straps on, but what about the sleeves? Is it one or the other? Did I miss something?
Hi Barbara,
There are actually no sleeves on the dress. I just spread out the straps a bit to look like sleeves when I wore it. You can make the straps narrower if you like, or keep them scrunched up. I’d love to see what you come up with! Be sure and send me your version!
Thanks so much! I’m going to get right on it! I will post photos ASAP!
Hi! It’s me again. I don’t mean to be obtuse, but I’m a novice with this sewing thing. Okay, so I’m not cutting out the sleeve pattern (just the straps), but the skirt pattern says “2 times A plus 1″ – cut 2, which in my case would be 2 pieces of 2×33″(A)+1″=67″ wide by 26″ long (the length of the skirt). It seems like too much, and there is no indication to gather the top of the skirt, so I’m assuming (?) that it should be A plus 1″, cut 2, which would be 2 pieces 34” wide by the length of the skirt. Is that correct? Thank you for your assistance and for posting these great patterns.
Hi Barbara,
I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. For some reason, WordPress didn’t let me know that you had sent another comment. After looking at the instrux, it looks as though there is actually a sentence missing from Step 1. It should read:
1. Measure your bust circumference and subtract 3”. Divide this number in half to find A. Draw the pattern pieces following the markings in the diagram. Cut out the fabric pieces.
Hi a bit confused too. The bodice is much too wide.What am I doing wrong?
Cute dress! I’d love to make it with the sleeve option. Got any tips for adding sleeves?
Hi Suzanne,
Did you want to add separate sleeves, or just make the straps wider for some faux sleeves?
I too am confused….do the sleeves attach to the straps? Do I use one or the other? How does the sleeve attach to the bodice. Sorry to sound dumb, but from where to I measure for the skirt. I love the idea of this dress, but I am used to more conventional patterns and instructions.
Hi,
I’m confused too about the sleeves in the pattern. It shows straps 7″x 18″, cut 2 but it also shows sleeve pattern 18″x 11″x 21″. Where does this go and how many do I cut?
Hi Roselan,
I just went and looked at the updated pdf. It looks as though the sleeve pattern for my DKNY wrap was somehow incorporated into the dress instructions. Please ignore the sleeve pattern as it shouldn’t be there at all. Thanks so much for your question–I’ll pass it on to the Sewing Republic people.
Donde esta el patron o molde? y las intruccioes?
Hi Yohana,
Bernina changed all of their links from Sewing Republic to their WeAllSew blog. The links on my end should be updated now with the correct URLs.