When you cannot find the perfect fabric for a dress, why not make your own!

This dress started out as white cotton jersey and a bit of fiber reactive dye. After a whole lot of hand sewing, I eventually came up with this dress!

Step 1: Dyeing & Stenciling

The first step for any sewing project is finding a fabric. Unfortunately, I often cannot find exactly what I am looking for at the fabric store.

I have recently discovered the joy of working with fiber reactive dyes. My color choices are no longer limited!

And adding appliqued polka dots can only make a textile better, in my opinion. I use heavy duty interfacing to make my stencils and a fabric pen to transfer the design on the fabric.

Step 2: Applique

For this project, I used embroidery floss and a blanket stitch to apply the polka dots to two layers of cotton jersey. At first I tried pinning and basting the dots in place on each section of fabric, but the edges started to curl as knit fabrics like to do. In the end, it worked better to apply them one at a time with pins.

Step 3: Constructing the Dress

For the seams, I used a heavy duty thread, and embroidery floss for the top-stitching.

Sewing multiple layers of cotton jersey by hand can sometimes be challenging, especially where seam line meet. A pair of jewelry pliers can come in handy to help pull the needle through a tight spot.