Not a Shellfish Seamstress Anymore

I'm sorry, I really couldn't resist the crustacean pun. I mean, it's not every day that one sews up a lobster dress! I hope you will excuse me.

My camera does NOT like photographing/monitors do NOT like displaying all these tiny stripes. 

After the issues with my mom's machine in SF, I ended up taking my sister's lobster dress home to TCOCC with me to finish. Since I couldn't get it done during spring break, you'll have to settle for pictures of the dress on a hanger instead of a real live person. I'll bring it back with me the next time I travel up there for work.

Back, with a pin to hold the crisscrossing straps in the right place without a person to fill them out.

As I mentioned before, I used Simplicity 6926, a 70s sundress pattern. Since my pattern was a size 10, (my usual size), and Emily is a bit tinier than me, I used slightly larger seam allowances to sew what was probably a size 8 or so. I also did an SBA (so easy with princess seams!) and shortened it by a good five or six inches, which feels scandalously short to me, but looks excellent on her. It's funny how my legs look best when skirts end right about the knee, but for her, several inches above that is best. The things you learn when you sew for others!

The other cool thing I did (or at least I thought it was cool) was flip the facings to the outside. See, Emily really liked the look of the white band with the tiny navy blue stripe on the original sheet, and wanted that on her dress as well. To get that look, I cut the facings from a white pillowcase, added a strip of navy bias tape to the bottom edge, and instead of the sewing it on right sides together, I sewed the right side of the facing to the wrong side of the dress. Then I understitched as usual, flipped the facing out, and topstitched it from the right side. All the raw edges are enclosed, and it gives a nice, clean look on both sides.

Snaps! 

Pocketses! And chevrons on the side seams!

Check out the pretty pretty insides!

My other modifications were adding pockets to the skirt and bringing the straps to the inside of the bodice. To keep the clean look of the front (and also because my machine makes messy buttonholes), I opted to have the straps attach with snaps. The finishing touch: covered (nonfunctional) buttons with the lobster motif!

I'm so psyched that I thought of this!

Also check out my almost perfectly matched lobsters on the back! 

Summary:
Fabric: One twin flat sheet, 100% cotton, with blue and white stripes and red lobsters, by Tommy Hilfiger, thrifted, and one white king-size 100% cotton pillowcase, also thrifted
Notions: Two 7/8"covered buttons and metal snaps for the front, ten 5/8" navy blue buttons on the back, navy bias tape for the trim
Hours: A lot. Between cutting and sewing all the fiddly facings and straps, the fitting, finishing the insides nicely with seam binding, and all the buttons and buttonholes, I probably spent a good ten hours or more on this dress. It's more time than I would've spent on a dress for myself (especially when I re-sewed all the buttons 1/8" down because it looked better), but since this is for someone else, I wanted it to be as perfect as possible!
Will you make this again? I quite like this nautical look, but I doubt I'll make it for myself unless I find similarly awesome sheets.
Total cost: $5. The linens were $3, the buttons $1, and the bias tape $1. As Emily said when she saw the pictures I sent, "you could sell this for like $70 on Modcloth!" So that's a savings of $65, if you don't count labor...
Final thoughts: I'm really pleased with how this turned out, and at least based on the pictures, my sister likes it too! The whole thing looks so delightfully nautical, but obviously still inappropriate for the HSF's "By the Sea" challenge by about 40 years. Don't worry, though, I've got my own nautical outfit planned for that challenge!

This makes two garments that I've sewed this year for my sister, unasked for, just because I thought she would like the fabric. It would appear that I'm not following the Selfish Seamstress' rules anymore, except that Emily is one of those people whose talents you can exploit. If Selfish can exchange a dress for a painting, well, Emily gave me five paintings three years ago, so if anything I'm the one who's really late in the talent exchange.

Sad Crustacean and Football Fish

Fenxi: my first cat love.

Gummy, the derpy weirdo. What is it about orange cats? 

And Walnut, of course! She did this painting of him as a dapper gentleman cat before she ever met him. And if you're wondering what to do with saved cat whiskers, well, obviously use them in cat paintings! Those are actually Fenxi's whiskers in the painting, though. 

The three cat paintings are hanging in my sewing room to inspire me. I'd say I got the better end of the deal.