Several months ago I had shown a teaser of the fabric I was going to use to create a tropical sundress, Regency-style... well, a few weeks ago I finally started and finished it, and wore it the Sunday before last (and then promptly forgot to post about it until now).
And, here it is (with and without the sweater). I wore it with a wide dark blue ribbon as a belt tied in the back (it would be mostly hidden under the sweater's edge), it made it look better.
Fabric: I used just over a yard and change of 44" wide thin/loosely-woven cotton fabric. The underdress/lining is a compilation of a polyester remnant and several large (and oddly-shaped, trapezoidal) scraps pieced together from a previous project (the teal chiffon dress from a year and change ago).
Pattern: None. It gives a nod to Regency/empire-waisted silhouette, but is essentially one piece of fabric folded in half and cut with a back on the diagonal and two strips of fabric used as sleeve straps.
Making of: Basically pinned it on to determine how it would look, noted measurements, pinned it together on the floor inside out, tried it on again (right side out), cut it, sewed it, tried it on again and made some adjustments, cut out/pinned on the sleeve straps, tried it on for placement, made adjustments, sewed the top edge and sleeves, and voilá, done.
Accessories: I'd made a circle/A-line bias-cut skirt out of another woven poly-cotton earlier this year and used the rest of that fabric to make a loose shrug/sweater. The color was perfect for this sundress, but... it was a bit too loose across the back (it gapped rather outrageously at the top and didn't stay in place), so I used a box pleat at the top to pull it together for a few inches and let the rest hang as usual. In these pictures, I've tied it in a knot in front like a Regency spenser.
Construction details below...
