This is Ashley, blogger of Craft Sanctuary, and me, at the rehearsal dinner for her wedding this past July :) We like to tell people we met online. Which is true - thanks to the online sewing/blogosphere. When she moved to Chicago in February of 2014, we met up in person and have been super sewing friends ever since! Who would have guessed that two years later I would be attending her gorgeous wedding :)




Okay, anyways, back to the flamingo dress! I whipped this thing out in an HOUR - of course, the day of the rehearsal dinner. As you do. I had a dress already for the big day, but wanted to sew something to wear for my sewing friend's wedding festivities, and last minute, I had this flamingo epiphany!


This flamingo poly-crepe from Blackbird Fabrics had been sitting in my stash for awhile - it was sheer enough that it needed lined. My epiphany was that this dress pattern - McCall's 7405 - would be a snap to line, and the unstructured shape would be perfect for the drape of the fabric! And I could definitely sew it in an hour... right?



After cutting out the pieces, I stitched the lining to the main fabric along the armholes, which gave a nice finish. I then stitched the side seams and hemmed the lining and main fabric separately, serged the necklines together, folded over to make the casing for the neck-tie, topstitched, and pulled the neck-tie through. One hour. Done.



Pattern: McCall's 7405 -  Misses' Gathered-Neckline Dresses with Ties

Fabric: Flamingo print poly-crepe from Blackbird Fabrics (no longer available)

Sizing: Size 12 - fit is adjustable thanks to the ties, but I could probably have made a 10. I feel like McCall's patterns run large in the shoulders/arms.


The dress pattern comes with a pattern for your own tie belt, but I already had this awesome flamingo pink belt in my closet. The dress is also quite cute without a belt, especially in the hot summer, but I will almost always belt it as I like a defined waist.


So there you have it! The saga of the flamingo dress I made in an hour to wear to Ashley's rehearsal dinner. That crazed hour of sewing (and Josh saying "seriously... you're going to finish this before we have to leave?) was all made worth it when, at the rehearsal dinner, Ashley's Grandma came up to me and said "You must be Ashley's sewing friend - that fabric is so her!" :) :) :)

❤ Sally