I love this line of dresses by Stop Staring shown above. They are retro yet still feel fashionable to me. How do they achieve this fit? By using fabrics with some stretch in them which make them easier to sew up and fit because of the stretch. For those of us into sewing vintage patterns, it’s a bit like cheating, but why not try to make one anyway? They have to be much easier to make than your standard vintage bombshell dress pattern which must be fitted perfectly with lots of darts and things. Stop Staring dresses come in sizes small, medium, and large, which you would never find in the fitted, woven dresses from the actual forties and fifties. I want to make a sheath dress with a fit like this so I have been trying to figure out how I am going to do it.
Stop Staring is actually adapting looks which probably have already been designed but what they DO do differently is use the fabrics with stretch in them. I could just buy one and copy it but that would make it too easy, wouldn’t it?
I’m thinking if I use a stretchy, woven fabric like a stretch twill or bengaline, and a vintage pattern, but cut the pattern in a smaller size to account for the stretchiness, that might work.
On My Sewing Table
I am working on a simple stretch dress right now. It’s going to be a navy and striped sheath and it was inspired by this week’s nautical theme over at the Sew Weekly. I can hopefully finish this before my trip on Saturday.
My fitted Sheath Project:
Vogue 8689
I am using the Vogue pattern which I made in black here as a base for my sailor design I am working on as a part of the Sew Weekly Challenge. I’ll be using a navy stretch double knit for the skirt and a navy and white striped stretch cotton knit for the bodice for a sailor look.
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| Starboard Dress Modcloth |
Of course I’m a bit late in the summer for a nautical dress!
Now dear readers, Have you ever made a dress from a pattern meant for normal non stretchy woven fabric out of knit fabric? Did it work out?
I also think that the dresses may be “pinned” to the model to achieve such a perfect fit for the photos.
I imagine if you saw the dress in real life the fit may not be so spot on.
wow, love those stop staring dresses. Wish that if I made it, my body would look like that too! 🙂 I have only made one item with knit, I’d be way to scared to try one of those! Good luck!
love these! they remind me of the show, Mad Men…have you seen that?? well, these dresses are on there, i promise!
Wow, these dresses look great on the models. I think they would flatter any bodytype.
I researched carrying Stop Staring in my shop but didn’t think SP was quite ready for them! I love your style, Justine!