100 Dresses - Creating A Me Made Wardrobe Of Dresses

I have been on such a fun quest of curating a hand-crafted modest wardrobe. Last year, it started with sewing some easy maxi skirts and long sleeve tops for winter. I started wearing skirts most of the time and now that we are entering warmer weather, I have tackled making quite a few dresses. Most are cotton, and easy to dress up a bit for church, but simple enough for daily wear. 

This was the first dress that I made. This was a wearable toile (or a draft garment for fitting purposes). I had quite a few yards of this fabric that my dad had gifted to me. I have made myself a top, curtains, skirts, pillows, children's clothing all out of this fabric haha. It is a yarn dyed cotton/linen blend and I do really enjoy it, but if it didn't turn out I wouldn't have been upset. I was really happy that I made this version first, before cutting into the peach gingham fabric I had purchased, because I decided to make several fit adjustments. This dress gets a lot of wear, so that is a win! 

I made this dress with the hope to have something cute and comfortable to wear for Easter. I love this dress (I'm actually wearing right now while I type this post out!). Originally, I had used contrasting salmon bias tape for the neckline and drawstrings. I had an unfortunate mishap with our storm shelter door, and tore the bodice of this dress pretty good the second time I wore it! Sad day. Fortunately, I still had some fabric left over, so I made a new bodice, and decided to make matching bias tape for the neckline and drawstring. I love it so much more! Now the only thing I think this dress is missing is pockets. I do think I'll add some eventually.

As you can see, I tend to make several pieces of the same pattern. This is a brown linen/cotton blend. I do wish it was 100% linen, but it was an excellent price. I don't tend to reach for this dress often - I think it is the color. So I think I will end up donating it. 

It is hard to pick a favorite dress, but this one is up there! This is the same pattern as the dresses above, but hacked to feature a tiered maxi length skirt (with pockets!). I was starting to feel more confident in my sewing abilities at this point in my journey. I have sewed for many years, and was a professional seamstress at one point, but I had taken a looooong break and it took time to knock the rust off. Now I am happily adapting patterns to suit my desired look. This dress gets a ton of wear!

This yellow gingham is such a happy dress. I made this especially for a concert date with my husband. I was cool and comfortable for the outdoor show (Willie Nelson) and have worn it since. It definitely feels a little dressier than my other makes, so I don't wear it as casually. But it is a very nice "going out" dress.

The most - and I mean THE MOST - comfortable dress I have. I hacked a blouse pattern to make this dress. It is essentially a MuuMuu and I adore it. It is so easy to wear, I love the midi length, the high neckline, and the super puffed sleeves. I wear it with and without the belt tie, depending on the silhouette I want that day. I love both looks.

This 90s style dress is a dream. It is very comfortable and easy to wear. The back waist ties are great for giving it a little shape and I love the button front. This rust fabric is more orange than brown and I think it works much better for my skin tone than the brown linen. I reach for this one often and it is a go to for church especially. I also added pockets - a feature I add to every dress now! 

I can't overstate how much I love this dress. It is very "cottage core" or "little house on the prairie" and I adore it. I feel very feminine when I wear this dress, and so comfortable. (Noticing a theme here when it comes to comfort haha. BUT as a busy mom of 5 and counting, it is so important to me to feel comfortable and be able to go about my daily tasks easily.) The elastic waist details are super flattering and I love the neckline.

I actually have another one of these in the works out of a sweet white and blue itty bitty floral that I can't wait to finish! I'll be sharing that in its own post soon. 

There are actually a couple of other dresses that I've made that didn't quite work out or didn't make the cut in wearability unfortunately and have already been donated. My next task is to seriously declutter my closet now that I've added these fresh pieces. I started that already, and I think that will turn into its own post eventually. 

I wasn't sure how practical it would be to wear mostly dresses, but I'm seeing that it is completely feasible for me. I am now ready to let go of several items of clothing that I just don't reach for anymore. I'm also moving away from synthetic fibers, and that shift has been made more affordable by making my own pieces. 

Until next time, 

Cris