Start your sewing adventure with us.    Join Seamwork

Articles on this site were all published prior to 2017 and this site is no longer updated. Please visit our current Articles, Patterns, and Classes for the most up-to-date content and products.

Palette Challenge Week 10: Bottomless mimosa

Drinking and sewing usually don’t go together for me.

The only mind-altering substance I normally use while operating a sewing machine is a bit of caffeine. I am waaaay too mistake prone to handle anything else.

But I really wanted to finish this dress up this weekend, so I dutifully came into the studio on Saturday to wrap this one up, right after consuming a large brunch that included bottomless mimosas. A full belly and a little champagne is usually a recipe for a nap for me, so lucky for me this dress is so easy.

This is the same vintage pattern I used for my blue Liberty dress, but I decided that instead of gathering the neckline, I’d work a bit of hand sewn fabric manipulation in there. That part was done by the time I came in to tipsily finish up, in case you are wondering.

I’m going to share the book I learned this technique from sometime next week. It’s not too difficult. The hand stitching took me about an hour.

Thus concludes my palette challenge for this season! I am pretty amazed by how much sewing I got done. I’ll probably do a recap in the coming days.

Sarai Mitnick

Founder

Sarai started Colette back in 2009. She believes the primary role of a business should be to help people. She loves good books, sewing with wool, her charming cats, working in her garden, and eating salsa.

Comments

Kat

June 25, 2012 #

Love the colour and the detailing – I do love a nice simple line in a gorgeous plain fabric in a rich beautiful colour. The detailing does elevate it, though. For me, wine+sewing = a great Saturday night!

Sarai

June 25, 2012 #

It does sound relaxing. I just tend to get a little too relaxed maybe.

Casey

June 25, 2012 #

Love the fabric manipulation at the neckline–what a nice touch!

virginia

June 25, 2012 #

I love this color as well! The clean simple silhouette works for so many different body types.

MB@Yarn

June 25, 2012 #

Actually, I sew and drink a lot…I don’t usually overdo it only because I want my alcohol to last a while…and besides it’s not cheap. Here’s what I do: I break out a Guinness, turn on the serger and fool around with fabric. Lately I’ve been on a flatlock kick. When Guinness pint is done, I’m usually still sewing for a quite a while.

Inna

June 25, 2012 #

Less is more! The neckline detail is so pretty!

Latrice

June 25, 2012 #

That was my Sunday. However, I was not able to resist taking a nap.

Tracey Wirth

June 25, 2012 #

As usual Sarai, you don’t disappoint!!!! You are always so good to us readers, by taking a technique that looks so complicated and scary and showing us that it is something that we really could do!!! Thank you so much!

Sarai

June 25, 2012 #

This one is actually really easy. It would be fun to have a simple garment pattern with a bunch of details like this you could try! The only hard part is doing the math on how much fullness to take up, so a pattern with all this figured out would be really interesting.

Rochelle New

June 25, 2012 #

Great color and a beautiful silhouette!

Sarai

June 25, 2012 #

Thanks Rochelle! The color actually looks way more hot pink on my monitor, for some reason… it’s definitely more orangey in person.

Kelli

June 25, 2012 #

LOVE the “smocking”! I can’t wait to see how you did it.

Yuliya

June 25, 2012 #

I so wish I could have this pattern, so simple n beautiful. Can’t have enough of you Sarai, you are – amazing

Sarai

June 25, 2012 #

You guys are way too kind. Thank you!

Sassy T

June 25, 2012 #

That is stunning. Your eyes are immediately drawn to it. Elegance personified.

Ginger

June 25, 2012 #

GORGEOUS! I want this! Great job, gal!

Amanda

June 25, 2012 #

This effect looks so lovely and I have to admit I am intrigued by how to do it. I’ve been finding a lot of lovely effects can be quite complex so this should be a treat!

Shelly

June 25, 2012 #

I love the smocking on a grown-up garment. I was thinking, wow, that’s really unusual, I never would have thought of that. Then a little while later I looked in the bathroom mirror and realized the neckline on my dress was created using a modified smocking technique. Good grief, we thought it was for babies this whole time!Now I’m looking forward to seeing your tutorial.

Christine

June 26, 2012 #

Love the dress and wonder whether that technique could be used to shape a waist gently. But more importantly is a mimosa what we call Buck’s Fizz – orange juice and champagne? Gorgeous and of course incredibly good for you drinking both the cause and a cure at the same time

Sarai

June 27, 2012 #

It could definitely be used to shape a waist.

I looked it up since Kenn (my resident cocktail expert) isn’t here at the moment. It looks like the two drinks are similar but the mimosa has a larger proportion of champagne (1:1 rather than 2:1).

Pam Jones

June 26, 2012 #

It’s nice to know you are prone to the same foibles as the rest of us. Happy mimosas!

Sarai

June 27, 2012 #

I seem to make at least one eye-roll-inducing mistake per garment. Usually a result of letting my mind wander, but happens just about every time! I think it’s all part of making something by hand.

Helen

June 27, 2012 #

Love this dress, the colour, the shape and especially the detail at the neckline and can’t wait to find out how to do this. Although I’d rather you just gave me this dress, if that’s OK? :)

Christine

June 29, 2012 #

Just wanted to say that I much prefer the name of mimosa to bucks fizz so from now on its mimosas for us. the perfume is gorgeous too!!