What I Wore: Mumu to Masters DressMasters 2013 at the Augusta National

Yesterday was the last day of the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, and the day Matt and I went out to watch some golf and eat pimento cheese sandwiches. The whole week, the week all Augustans dread more than any other, the city swarms with thousands and thousands of tourists and golf fanatics. It's a madhouse around town. Being the most prestigious sporting event, I love dressing the "country club girl meets Betty Draper meets Good Housekeeping". Last year, I made some plaid bloomer shorts, and this year I wanted to do something a little more.

An exercise in patience, and practice to keep me on my toes, I sewed a dress for myself from a pattern this past week for the first time in probably years. Vogue pattern V8725. A simple lined dress. The trickiest part of this sewing project was cutting out the fabric just right since there was only so much fabric, and it had to be cut out along the vertical pattern of the sailboat print.

Sewing tip #1: Press as you sew! It makes a world of difference and the dart/seams will lay flat. In the above photo, I pressed the bodice darts open, and the side seams open. I also did this for the bodice lining, then sewed them together, matching the side seams and center front, also attaching the straps at this step.

Bodice before skirt is attached. For the lining of this project, I used bed sheets that my friend Sarah gave me. Blue and purple floral, they were a wedding gift to her parents over 30 years ago. I used to use the flat sheet when I had a queen sized bed, but now that we have upgraded to a King, both the fitted full sized sheet, and flat sheet are of no use to us. The flat sheet is in the picnic section of our linen closet, and the fitted sheet in my sewing pile. I just love to reuse old relics from people past, utilizing them in such a way that it makes the garment more meaningful.

Another favorite part of this project: pockets! I love dresses with pockets. When one attends the Masters tournament, there are very strict regulations of what one can bring into the National. No electronic devices of any kind, no cell phones, cameras, and the size restriction on purses is very small. Pockets were super convenient for a little bit of cash, lip balm, and my photo ID. 

When sewing pockets, cut one of the lining, and one of the shell fabric. The pockets cut out of the lining are sewn to the skirt front, and pockets cut out of the sailboat/shell fabric are sewn to the skirt backs. This way, passers by see the sailboats and it has a more polished finished look. While pockets add a little more work to sewing a dress, they are very much worth every second. Pattern doesn't have pockets? Find a pattern that does, and with a little bit of planning, it's super easy to add pockets that weren't originally there.

There was one fault with the dress I have to admit, even though I'm sure I don't have to. It drove me nuts that I didn't notice until right before we left the house. When sewing the back slit, sewing the dress and lining together, there was a slight buckle and pucker. It pulled the skirt back up just a hair. This is something that could have been prevented with a mirror behind me, and pinning the fabric together when I was wearing it before sewing the topstitched seam. So close to a perfect job, Sally, so close!

Another fun little detail I planned with the dress: vintage ribbon with carousel horses was used for the seam binding. The invisible hem sealed the deal in making the dress perfect and just fancy enough for Masters. I received so many compliments throughout the day, and caught women here and there talking about my dress as I walked by. Nothing is more flattering than overhearing a positive comment about what you're wearing. 

All in all, I'll give myself a B+ overall. What do you think? Do you ever sew for yourself from patterns? Or do you prefer to use your own? I'd love to hear from you!