Chambray and Stripe Collage Gather Top Dress Hack

I’m back with another Me-Made-May project! This time, my sewing adventures took me through stitching up a Collage Gather Top Dress Hack and I’m sharing all the details with you in today’s post!

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Top pattern used

Even before making the Sprout Wovens Collage Gather Top, I knew that I wanted to make the Dress Hack. I even had my fabrics picked out several weeks back. I’ve just been waiting for the time at home to stitch her up.

It finally happened this past weekend 😊 Along with this Peppermint Pocket Skirt, I managed to get two me-made fashion items sewn up.

It’s amazing how much quicker it is to stitch garments than it is to make a quilt – ha!

Serging

One of the reasons I’d held off sewing garments for so long was that I didn’t have a serger. That changed last year when I finally took the plunge and picked up this Juki serger. You can read about her here but suffice it to say it’s been a game changer.

Having the machine on hand is one thing, knowing how to and actually using her was an entirely different challenge altogether.

I feel like I’m hitting my stride with my serger.

At this point, I’ve serged quite a few seams and I can confirm I love the effect. Serged seams feel sturdier, and they look more polished. It really does give a nice clean finish to your seams, and in turn, elevates the quality of your handmade garments.

To keep things moving, my machine was already set up with a 40wt Aurifil Thread in light gray. I decided to go with it to great effect.

Fabrics featured

After stitching up my mum’s quilted coat featuring this chambray, I wound up with quite a bit leftover. No harm as I’m loving the feel of this fabric. The lightweight, flowy nature of the textile was drawing me in for combating the summertime heat and humidity.

To keep it fun and fresh, I opted to pair the lavender chambray with a blue and white linen stripe in two different widths – small and wide.

My love for stripes is on full display in this one! And I love the fresh feminine feel of the pop of lavender.

To cuff or not to cuff?

I had a momentary pause on whether to cuff my dress or not.

I originally planned to with this darker navy and cream stripe (similar one here).

But then I didn’t like the idea of introducing the cream to the white of the rest of the blue and white striped linen.

So, it was back to the drawing board.

After playing a little, I did love the look of the larger stripe on the cuff and even polled you on Instagram 😉

You agreed – cuffing was a good option.

And so I cuffed!

A note on sizing

You might remember that I shared a few things I’d do differently after making my first Collage Gather Top.

I stuck with those intended modifications and opted to:

• Make a size XXS instead of a size S as I did with the top. I found that I was swimming in the small and decided to size down for the dress for a flowy but more fitted silhouette. I probably would have been best with an XS as the XXS is a little on the fitted side. This is where making a muslin would have been a good option!
• Lengthen the top with the longer suggestion Amy shares in the Collage Gather Top Dress Hack Tutorial. I also did the wider hem 😉
• Match my topstitching thread. I considered using a lavender thread for the purple neckline, but I didn’t have any that matched and felt that since white thread coordinated best with the majority of the look, I stuck with that for consistency.

Notes from this sewing adventure

I had visions of a billowing lightweight dress that I could turn to when the summer heat rolls in and I think I’ve nailed it. Time will tell, of course, but I’m excited to put her to the test this summer.

Couldn’t resist sneaking in another plant label. The blue seemed fitting, and I snuck the same one in my mum’s quilted coat, so we’re twinning on the cute labels from Sarah Hearts.

It’s amazing how much easier something is the second time you try it. I hadn’t made the dress before, but the process was pretty similar to piecing the top, so it was really straightforward.

See it in action

It’s one thing for me to tell you about the fit and it’s another for you to see it in action! So, I filmed myself wearing the dress so you could get a good idea of the fit and how the materials flow.

Materials and Notions

Here’s a roundup of the materials and notions I used to whip this Collage Gather Top Dress Hack up:

• Collage Gather Top Pattern – with this Dress Hack
• Fabrics – a combination of striped linen in two different sizes and chambray in plum (all remnants from previous projects) 😉
• 50wt Aurifil Thread – sewing
• 40wt Aurifil Thread – serger
• Tracing paper – this is what I use
• Sharpie
• Ruler
• Pattern weights
• Rotary cutter with these blades
• Cutting mat
• Tailor’s scissors
• Sewing machine
• Serger
• Iron & pressing mat
• Seam ripper
• Marking tool
• Sewing machine
• Snips
• Clips
• Pins
• Pincushion – pattern to make your own here

Shop my most used notions and tools here.

It’s encouraging to see how quickly your skills improve when you stick with it 😊

What have you tried to make that’s pushed you outside your sewing comfort zone? Share in the comments below!

Happy stitching!

xo

Shannon

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