Made for Mermaid Chambray Mama Daphne, Including Fall Mods

Some patterns just make you feel at pace in your own skin … this is mine.

I was no new creature to the Mama Daphne. I had oogled it several times, drooled over the beautiful creations, and I even sewed a double brushed poly version as my “solid staple” top for the summer. But I needed a dress.

I was so devoted to finding the correct chambray that I contacted Art Gallery Fabrics for swatches. I wanted to see the beautiful colors in person, to feel the breathability, the softness. I decided on the Cool Foliage for this dress; the greenish hue spoke to me for both summer and the upcoming fall. A little mint pompom trim was my perfect accent.

What I Did Differently

Flounce + Sleeve Combo

I knew I wanted flounce, but I also wanted sleeves. I didn’t want my underarm to be free to the air, especially since I couldn’t part with this dress come fall. I cut all pieces out and realized that the flounce is designed much larger than the neckline. To make this work, I simply cut down my flounce to be the same width as the neck opening.

1. I sewed the top of the dress together without the flounce.
2. I narrowed my flounce pieces to be the same width as the neck opening and then sewed them (the flounce pieces) together.
3. I laid the flounce over the neck opening just as you see it (with the wrong side of the flounce against the right side of the dress). I serged the flounce to the neck opening at the raw edges so that this would now function as one piece. If you don’t own a serger, you could simply use a zigzag stitch over the raw edge.
4. I created my neck casing by folding down that serged edge just once (to decrease bulk) and stitching just above the serged line.

Waistband Elastic

The next modification I made was the size of my waistband elastic. When I cut according to the measurement chart, I could feel that the elastic would be very snug against my skin. I wanted a slightly looser fit so that I’d be very comfortable in this dress. So,

I simply wrapped my elastic around my waist where it felt comfortable, and snipped there.

The end result? Love! I just want to curl up, read a good magazine out on the porch, and soak in this beautiful weather!

 

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