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Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Itch to Stitch Holiday Blog Tour - Hepburn Turtleneck Dress

Today is the opening day of the Itch to Stitch Holiday Blog Tour hosted by Fleurine and Leslie, and sponsored by Style Maker Fabrics. I paired the classic Hepburn Turtleneck pattern with this luscious, black stretch velvet. I've been wanting to make a turtleneck dress for a while, and this was the perfect opportunity to make it a priority.
The Hepburn Turtleneck pattern is shirt length, with long or 3/4 length sleeve options, and it is quite form fitting. The pattern is written with negative ease (smaller than your body), I thought that might be a little too snug across the bum for my taste, so I went up a size. I did my normal grading between bust, waist, and hip sizes, but a size bigger. I'm really happy with the fit through the shoulders, and I love the super slim sleeve. To lengthen the pattern into a dress with a straight skirt, I simply dropped the hem 16", and flared it a scant 1/2" on the sides. I also added 2" to the length of the collar. All of these changes were tested out in a stretch french terry muslin first, so I could be certain of the fit before I started.

Style Maker Fabrics has a great selection of knits that would work for a dress like this. I was tempted by the sweater knits, but decided to go with something a little fancier for the holidays. The stretch velvet is the perfect fabric for this style (don't miss the other lovely colors!). The pile gives it a nice body, it has 100% stretch, and a nice drape. I used a solid 2 1/2 yards to make this dress. I relied heavily on the Seamwork Magazine Beginner's Guide to Sewing Velvet. If you've never sewn with velvet before (which I hadn't) you'll want to do a little research before you begin.
DETAILS:
Pattern: Hepburn Turtleneck from Itch to Stitch
Fabric: Stretch Velvet from Style Maker Fabrics

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GOODIES:
Itch To Stitch is offering 16% off patterns until December 11 with code HOLIDAY16!
Style Maker Fabrics is offering $5 US shipping, no coupon code needed!
Follow along with the rest of the blog tour on Leslie and Fleurine's blogs! Or on instagram #itsHolidayBlogTour. Trust me, there is some really good stuff coming this week!


ITCH TO STITCH HOLIDAY BLOG TOUR 2016
DECEMBER 6th
DECEMBER 9th
DECEMBER 10th
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25 comments:

  1. Your dress turned out lovely- the perfect holiday dress! Glad to know that Seamwork article was helpful... pinning it now ;-)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Meg! Seamwork is always a great resource.

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  2. Such a beautiful and classic black dress! I really want to sew something with velvet now... Thank you SO much for participating!

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  3. I love the dress hack you did! It fits you beautifully and is gorgeous in that velvet fabric.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Teri! I love a pattern that I can bend to my will! :) I've got a few more modifications in mind, this would look great with a longer fuller skirt.

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  4. This hack is great! I'm a total sucker for turtlenecks in general and would go for this look everyday if I could. The velvet is so classy and lives up to the pattern name. Well done.

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    Replies
    1. I agree! Definitely lives up to the "Hepburn". I'm on the look out for a more casual fabric to make another one in. It would be a great layering piece.

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  5. I've been looking for a good turtleneck pattern from an Indie company. Thanks for reviewing this one!

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    Replies
    1. I definitely recommend this one! I also have the Seamwork Neenah, but I haven't tried it yet.

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  6. What a great hack! It looks lovely on you, and now I'm off to go read up on sewing with velvet!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Emi! Stretch velvet is surprisingly easy to sew with, and very comfortable to wear!

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  7. Thanks for all the helpful tips and your photos are gorgeous - I love the idea of a turtleneck dress and yours is definitely an inspiration!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! At this time of year I love turtleneck everything ! :)

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  9. I love the dress hack! It looks so warm and cozy

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  11. That dress is just wow! Looking forward to stitch the same one for me! We also do some sewing work at home to turn some fabric into fancy stuff!

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