I’d say the catch phrase this holiday season is Merry & Bright, and I fell right in line upon seeing Mood Fabrics’ glittering silver baby sequined fabric!
I’ve owned a few formal sequined dresses over the years, and while sequined ball gowns are still around, shifting trends in the fabric now feature more relaxed styles from cocktail dresses to t-shirts. I made the dress for an annual Christmas dinner party and chose a simple pattern to keep the dress from appearing too formal.
My base pattern is New Look 6524, a shift pattern I purchased a while ago for the sleeve variations. My original plan was to sew View B.
Before making a muslin I had to remove the bust dart, and followed Maria Denmark’s tutorial for a perfect result. The tutorial is slightly time consuming but 100% accurate and provided me with a clean bodice front.
The sequins are sewn on mesh and the fabric tends to s t r e t c h easily. The fabric is also heavy.
Staystiching the shoulders, armscye and neckline immediately upon cutting prevented shape distortion.
After inserting an invisible zipper and attaching the shoulder seams I basted the side seams several times until the fit was just right. The photo below will give you an idea about how the fabric behaved.
Photo 1 is the muslin after I removed the bust dart. I pinned out a little excess along the side to get the fit I wanted.
Photo 2 shows my first round of fitting the dress. Although I knew the stretch in the fabric would provide a larger fit I wasn’t expecting the baby doll effect. It’s also too short.
Photo 3 shows the garment fitted to my satisfaction with the hem pinned and lowered. I removed up to two additional inches on each side.
After attaching the shoulders and basting the side seams, I decided the ruffle sleeve was too much of a good thing and chose a simple cap sleeve to keep the style classic and relaxed.
But now ….. the lining…….. oh my goodness. I bought the pewter stretch charmeuse in Florence from Casa Dei Tessuti in 2015. I bought it to line my Mother of the Bride dress for Mimi’s wedding which I never made. It is luxurious. I almost regret using it to line a dress that will be worn occasionally, but it elevates the dress immensely. I must find more without traveling to Europe!
Sewing with sequins is not difficult 
Keep a trash can close at hand as the sequins will scatter with gusto when the fabric is cut.
Sequins can dull your scissors so it’s best to use a dedicated pair of scissors.
I used a denim needle for the dress and a microtex needle for the charmeuse.
Although I’ve read that ‘finger pressing’ sequins is recommended, I pressed the seams with an iron using a silk organza press cloth.
The season to glisten and shine has arrived ~ Happy Holidays to all and a big T h a n k Y o u to Mood Fabrics!
