It’s done! My summer dress is finished in the middle of November. Totally impractical, I know, but so much fun to make and admire on the dress form. And now I can look forward to wearing it when Spring arrives!
Here’s the original inspiration – Betty Draper’s picnic outfit:
And here’s my picnic dress! What do you think, have I captured that 1960′s summer vibe? (PS. I’m freezing!)
I loooove this dress. It’s as girly as it gets! Pink, flowers, full skirt, bow-tied belt. I feel so feminine in this swishy skirt! It’s definitely a ‘cupcake of a dress’ as Karin commented last week.
If you’ve just stumbled across this post – welcome! Here are earlier posts highlighting some of the construction steps on this dress:
- Next up: The Picnic Dress
- Gathering an Edge Using Machine Stitches
- Understitching: A Step-by-Step Demo
- Sewing a Waist Stay in a Full-Skirted Dress
- A Hand-Picked Zipper: Progress on the Picnic Dress
I do have to admit, this dress turned out slightly tighter than the last version, because of the different fabric used. The vintage floral is much stiffer than the rayon fabric for the Twin Spruce Dress, and doesn’t allow for deep breaths either! (If this is a Picnic Dress, then I won’t be eating very many picnic snacks…)
I should have done what Claire aka Seemane suggested and left extra room on the waist stay for a little wiggle room. (Here’s the link to her helpful diagram.) You guys are so smart!
My shoes are from Nine West, purchased back in January 2008 from Macy’s in Seattle. (Because I know you’ll ask! I love these, I had no idea that grey four-inch patent leather pumps would become such a staple in my shoe wardrobe… but I reach for them all the time!)
Yes, Betty wore it to a picnic… but I’m thinking it would be nice for a summer wedding? Family get-together or BBQ? Either way, I’ll be looking for an excuse to wear this one out!
I like this shot with Mr Sewaholic’s shadow creeping in the foreground:
Doesn’t it look like a warm summer day in these photos? Let me tell you, it was not, so I took the rest of the photos indoors:
Back view – lovely, tidy hand-picked zipper! (Read how I did it here..)
Because I know you’ll ask, here it is, inside-out!
What do you think? Personally, I’m thinking that it’s time for some winter sewing projects. Too cold to take good outdoor photographs!
If you want to see more photos of this dress, stop by my Flickr account here!
Great fit and beautiful fabric!
It’s perfect! It’s amazing how much difference really taking your time and perfecting each step can make. This dress is gorgeous (as are you,of course) and it’s an inspiration!
the inside is remarkably tidy!!!
love the back neck line, really nice shape showing off your shoulder blades :)
It is lovely, and I agree it would be perfect for attending a summer wedding :)… not so perfect for Canada in November, even if you are in southern BC ;).
I think I’m obsessed with coats right now. I just want to sew warm, warm, warm!
Gorgeous! I love the fit, the neckline, the perfect gathers on the skirt, and how generally happy it looks. I agree, it would be great for a wedding.
I love it, of course! I can’t get enough of floral fabric and the style is perfect! And it LOOKS great, even if it’s a little snug! Just think, the ‘real’ betty draper – what sort of tortuous undergarments would have been under HER dress – super snug, and not good for extra picnic snacks at all!
I think the dress is versatile – works for BBQ (although, I’d have to stay away from BBQ sauce in a white dress :-)) to a wedding. I love that about a good dress, it can dress up or down!
I’m now obsessed with finding a nice pair of grey shoes.
Well done! It looks fantastic and very much like Betty’s. It definitely plays up your small waist and looks retro/trendy.
Absolutely beautiful work and you captured the Betty Draper style wonderfully. thanks as well for the handpicked zipper tutorial – very clear and useful!
Olá Tasia, lindo seu vestido, acabamento impecável. Parabéns.
Abraços
Eilane – Brasil
Hello Tasia, her beautiful dress, flawless finish. Congratulations.
Hugs
Eilane – Brazil
Gorgeous, yet again! I can’t decide which dress I like more – this one or the previous one. They’re both so beautiful & they fit you fantastically.
Hi Tasia, your dress is very pretty and beautifully made. I think it’s a good idea to make summer dresses during the winter as they cheer us up and remind us that summer will come again!
Very nice. So pretty & the inside is unbelievably perfect. Could you tell us more about the lace trimmed hem? Or have you covered it previously in another post?
I am amazed & awe at your sewing talent.
It’s beautiful.
Amazing! Your dress is a beauty and you look very good in it. It’s so pretty I’d wear it all the time, picnic, wedding, shopping, whatever^^
It’s beautiful
Wow, this dress looks so professional! The inside is so clean with that lining. I’d love to get to the point where I could make the inside so nice on dresses!
Tasia your dress is absolutely darling!! :) I particularly love the neckline… maybe you you could make a top from the same style – take the bodice pattern pieces & add a fun ‘n’ flirty pepulm to the bottom – it’d go fab over some trousers or a pencil skirt that way?
Oh, & I’m lovin’ Mr. S’s arty-shadow effect
P.S. Thanks for the name check ;)
Everyone’s already said it but this dress looks wonderful! It’s so fun to see all the details of construction. Thank you for always taking the time!
I think I’m in love with the back scoop of that dress and I like your neckline more than the one that Betty is wearing (which would be annoying to choose a bra with!).
Invisible zippers have been my go-to closures but the more I see them the more I like the handpicked zips. Hopefully I’ll be using your tutorial soon!
oh my gosh!!! so beautiful!! totally retro and yet modern all in one! it is perfection!
~selina
It’s beautiful!
Oh, it’s fabulous! And you look lovely in it, am very jealous!
That is one BEAUTIFUL dress. You deserve to feel very pretty indeed.
Stunning! As are you, your smile says it all! I also prefer this front neckline profile over Betty’s. .I think this dress is a hit no matter where you wear it. With our more casual lifestyles, this is a very “dressy” dress. In the 60′s it would have been a picnic dress. I remember my dear Aunt had a dress much like this, she made it, she was an expert seamstress. With hers she wore these adorable high-heel straw covered wedges with open toes and a decoration of fruit and flowers on the top. By the way, she was arriving at our annual 4th of July picnic!
So cute on you! I think it will be perfect for a summer wedding or picnic. It’s just the perfect blend of dressy/casual to do lots of different events. :-)
Beautiful with just the right amount of girlie twirliness! Love it!
I love it, the dress is gorgeous! And you look very pretty in it, if I may add.
Gorgeous! I love that print. Beautifully constructed dress.
I love this dress. I also love how the back neckline dips down. This is so feminine and pretty. I just know you will love wearing this, I sure would. Beautiful work!
I like your version the best! You look beautiful in it, I hope you get to wear it lots when it gets warmer!
This dress ist so wounderful! I like it very much!
Greetings from germany, Bettina
So pretty, Tasia! Are you wearing a petty-coat underneath or does the skirt just have that much body?
~Alana
OH you look adorable! you could always throw a vintage sweater over the top and go out. I do wish I could sew this well, but what inspiration you are! TOOT SWEET!
What a beautiful dress!! It does look like summer and that you should be at the park or by the lake having a picnic. :D
Beautiful! And it will be so pretty for a wedding, I’d even wear it to the beach with some cute flat sandals!
Even though it is unseasonal, during winter it will give you lots of cheerful vibes each time you open your wardrobe door!
OH!!! WOW and more WOW!!! I love it!! the fabric, the style, the fit! You are SO talented!!!!! the inside is just neat, …..all my sewing are a mess in the inside hehehehehe
LOVE the shoes!!!!! so girly! poor of you freezing out there!! it doesn’t matter you finished it in november, as you say you can wear it next summer not for a picknick…it is so beautiful and well done that it deserves to be shown in a wedding party!
Beautiful! The fit is fantastic!
Couldn’t you add a little on to the stay ribbon where it isn’t attached to the dress?
Fabulous! The inside is just as nice as the outside, too.
That is really beautiful!!! It is just starting to get cool here in Alabama, and I have been having this desire to sewing spring and summer clothing, too. I have no idea why except that I have enough fall and winter stuff for no more cold weather than we have.
Adorable dress, cupcake!
You have captured the spirit of your inspiration dress perfectly. I love the bow detail. Thanks for sewing us all your steps.
It’s so pretty, Tasia! I’m just about to reveal my Betty Draper project but I think you’ve won the cuteness contest! And it even looks great inside out…x
Tasia, this is devine! It’s uncanny how similar both the pattern and your fabric are to your original inspiration. What a perfect fit as well!
You look stunning! And very picnic like. It may feel tight, but it looks perfectly fitted in the photos. It really makes me want to do a handpicked zipper!! Gorgeous (as always!).
Adorable!
It’s gorgeous!! You can totally make this in winter appropriate fabrics. It would look great in wool.
Such a pretty dress and beautifully made. Take a holiday down under for summer so you’ll get some wear from it before the cold sets in.
Love it, especially the back scoop neckline. well done!
Great dress! I love the idea of allowing ease in the waist stay.
Get your “Don Draper” in a 60′s outfit and recreate the MadMen picnic…next spring.
I’ve only recently started reading your blog, and this is my first comment… But this dress is stunning (especially on you!) and so beautifully made. I’ve very much enjoyed your tutorials as well. Well done–and please keep telling us about the beautiful things you make and how you do it.
The dress is adorable. Great work! I have finally given in too, and I am working on winter projects now. No more sun dresses for a few more months!
Lovely! I love the neckline. And thanks for posting the link to gathering in your last post about this dress. I found it quite timely and most helpful!
Ahhhh so gorgeous!!! I loved and it’s so nice the fact that you hand stitched your zipper, makes a big difference! Congrats!
I’m doing a coat to my mum now and after that will be my summer dress, hopefully a Xmas party dress :)
Oh I just love it! The fabric is so sweet and the pink flatters you so much! The bodice is so well fitted and the tie belt just really tops the dress off. So cute and so beautiful. It will be such a treat to wear some Spring and Summer. The zipper is fabulous too and I love the beautiful tidy work of the inside. Superb job Tasia!
Your dress turned out beautifully! And it’s so cute to see how excited you are about it, what with the big smile in every picture, and so many pictures too! It does look like a nice warm day in those pictures, but being from the Pacific Northwest myself, I know that’s not what it’s like in November even when it is sunny outside. :)
i love it i love it i love it!!! and i want one….. such a great girly summery dress!
What a delightful dress! I particularly like the neckline, and feel that it is very flattering on you. Thank you for sharing it with us – inside and out. :-)
I am IN LOVE. Seriously it is so incredibly cute. Can I buy it? haha seriously though you should sell dressed like these on Etsy. I’d totally buy one!
*dresses
Congratulations – it’s PERFECT!! Now I must make my own (it’s getting ‘Spring-y’ in Aus finally).
This is gorgeous. I love it.
Stunning! And looks totally gorgeous on you! x
It turned out so lovely!!! The fit is impeccable; and I just adore the silhouette. You should come visit me in Florida; it’s still warm enough to wear a sundress (at least in the middle of the afternoon)! lol.
‚ô• Casey | blog
Its beyond gorgeous!! You can come here to Arizona to wear your dress cus its still hot as heck!
Love, love, love the dress. Absolutely beautiful and beautifully made!
Wow! Thanks everyone for leaving so many wonderful comments!
I know there were a couple of questions… no I’m not wearing anything under the skirt! It’s naturally a lot poofier than the first version of this pattern, as the fabric is a crisp acetate. Feels like paper – well it felt a lot like paper before it was washed, then it felt like sew-in interfacing a little :)
So jealous of all of you who are in summery climates! It’s getting so cold here you have to wear gloves outside. Even walking to the post office and back (which is only a short block away) requires gloves and a scarf – yikes!
I’m glad you all liked seeing the inside and the process on the dress. I think I probably said the same thing last time, but it’s great sharing the how-to’s with you all!
I’ll admit that pink and flowery isn’t really my thing, but it looks very nice on you. And I’ve enjoyed following your progress and all of the little couture details you’ve put into it!
beautiful! turned out great and I love how the inside is just as perfect! :-)
Absolutely stunning dress. You look adorable!
Just gorgeous!!!! Perfect in every way. And loved those shoes ;))
What an amazing dress! Gorgeous! I’m absolutely speechless! And thanks for sharing all the technical stuff during construction.
Sooo beautiful! I love the fabric! And the swishy skirt! Oh, and the dreamy back neckline… I think I’ll have to get the pattern and make it myself. I got this cute grey floral fabric at the FIDM scholarship store in LA and I’ve been envisioning it as a dress like that…
Love the dress and the fabric and the shoes!
You have no idea how much I adore this cupcake of a dress!! You look fabulous and I wish that I had one of my own hanging in my closet. :)
The dress is adorable; it’s made very well and you look great in it.
Why is it taking spring so long to get here, BTW?
I love the fabric. And you lined it…WOW! It is great & I bet Betty Draper would like one, too.
Charming and delicious! But if you want to be faithful to the era that inspired it, you’d have to add four inches at least to the length of the skirt. Trust me, I’m old enough to remember that time. I didn’t make a dress with a hem above the knees until 1968.
Enjoy!!!
Hi there,
I just love this dress! How did you get it to be so full? Is it just through gathering or do the pattern pieces flare too?
Keep up the fantastic tutorials and patterns!
@Christina Marie: Hi Christina! It’s just through gathering – the pieces are wide rectangles, not flared at all. Hope this helps!
So lovely! One day I’ll have equally impressive sewing skills!
xx.
I am IN LOVE with this dress!!!!! After hours of scouring eBay, I finally found a similar pattern. Now to find the fabric!
Wow…PERFECTION. Thanks for ruining all of my “to-sew” plans. I’ve got to stop what I’m doing and make my own picnic dress PRONTO! :) Absolutely exquisite craftsmanship!
This dress is just adorable! Did you alter the skirt in any way, or is it just as wide as in the original pattern, which is quite wide?
The skirt is the same as the original pattern – quite full! It’s the same fullness in the Cambie Dress pattern too :)