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A Bright Coral Peasant Dress

Hola amigas!

Nothing says summer to me like a peasant dress!

coral peasant dress 1

I have a few peasant dress patterns on my list and this is the easiest one of the three, so I opted to make it first.  To me, this one is reminiscent of the 1970’s with the ruffles and the bright orange color.  It evokes hot summer nights and county fairs and barbecues.

coral peasant dress 2

The pattern I used for this dress is the OOP McCalls 5864.  I was perusing vintage peasant dress patterns on etsy and the search came up with this one.  Not sure why the seller listed it as “vintage” as it’s only a few years old, but at least I found it!  The other two peasant dress patterns on my sewing list include a 1950’s one that I have to grade up quite a bit and a more complicated Vogue Anna Sui.  A quick and easy one seemed to be on the menu!

[source: Pattern Review]

I used a coral J Crew silk/cotton voile from Fabric Mart that I purchased especially for this dress.  It takes a bit of yardage (although not as much as my other peasant dress patterns!), so I waited until I got the fabric on sale for $6.50/yd.  I also picked up the 5 1/2 yds I needed for the Anna Sui dress at the same time (a pale yellow floral).

I lined this dress on the bodice and the skirt with a white cotton batiste as the voile is sheer and I honestly don’t care to wear slips.  And …. I didn’t notice that my sash was not tied at my waist until after this photos….. isn’t that how it always goes???

coral peasant dress 3

I followed the directions which were pretty plain and simple.  This is a pullover dress with an elastic waist and a faux wrap on the side.  It’s fairly easy to construct, but takes a bit of time with all of the ruffles.

coral peasant dress 4

coral peasant dress 5

It fits fairly well, but as it’s not fitted it has a loose bodice.  The armholes are rather large and cause a bit of gaping.  I also see this in the dress the model wears on the pattern envelope, so I imagine that it’s the design.  If I were to make it again I would adjust that.  When I wore this dress to the LA Sewist Meetup I wore a camisole underneath as I was worried about it gaping too much, but I ditched the cami when I wore it out to dinner later that night and my bra wasn’t showing as I had feared.

coral peasant dress 7

I just love wearing this dress. It’s so breezy and summery and fares well in the heat.  It goes with boots and sandals and a dressy pair of espadrilles.  It’s exactly as I thought it would be when I envisioned it in my mind, which is always a good thing.  🙂

coral peasant dress 9

Happy Summer Sewing!

signature 2

  • Dress:  McCalls 5864 in J Crew coral orange silk/cotton voile, made by me
  • Shoes:  Yellow Box
  • Earrings:  Gift

Comments

  1. I love how easy and pulled-together this looks on you! The ruffle cascade from the faux wrap is very fetching I think. I have some marigold and magenta print voile that this might be perfect for, the print would be abstracted quite nicely by the gathering of the ruffles. Thanks always for the inspiration!

  3. This is such a great dress! You are a real inspiration with dresses, I wouldn’t have thought of this style but now I want one!

    • Thank you, Kelly!! I would love to see you in a peasant dress! Although you may have to wait until it warms up over there to wear it! Lol!

  8. OOO! I love the way the skirt ruffle comes down from the waist and into the hemline. This is really gorgeous, and the color of this dress squeal tequila sunrise! It doesn’t get much more summer than that!

    • If I was going to a resort, this would be the perfect dress to wear whilst drinking a cocktail, wouldn’t it? The hot, dry foothills will have to suffice at the moment as I would freeze if I wore this to the coast!

  9. That’s so gorgeous, Tanya! I slightly jealous of how fabulous coral looks on you. Slightly….incredibly. I love corals, oranges, and yellows, but they make me look sickly. It’s a fabulous pattern/style for you. 🙂

    • 🙁 My mom has the same complexion as you, so I can feel your pain….a bit! I’ve read before that coral is a universally flattering color, so I guess it depends on the shade. Sometimes I say, just wear it whether it compliments or not! Khaki, taupe, greys — they make me look sallow… although I prefer colors anyway…. It would be nice to wear a flattering khaki dress someday though!!

  10. I just love this dress! I also picked up some of the J. Crew silk/cotton voile during that sale (not in this amazing color, though) and it’s so cool to see the fabric all sewn up and worn. This coral color is gorgeous on you, too!

  13. Wow. This is absolutely beautiful, Tanya! You are such a knock-out anyway, but this color is just flat-out gorgeous on you. I never pick up peasant dress patterns, but yours has changed my mind. The silhouette is fab!

  14. I’ve been looking for this pattern online since I read your posting today. I’m not having any luck:-( Can you tell me if the sizes go up to a 24?

      • LOL! I hope you find it. Last I looked it was on the McCalls OOP site as well. Mine is 18W-24W, although I graded it up to a 26W. It has a lot of ease, so if I made it again, I would most likely just cut out the 24W.

    • I wish there was a better way to search on there! It takes forever to look through things…. at least when I list patterns on there I only mark “vintage supply” if it’s pre-70’s. Apparently others don’t think that way!

  17. Oh I’m so glad you blogged this one. You looked gorgeous at the meet up as both the color and style suited you so well! It’s beautiful!!!! (I wish I’d have touched it as we stood talking!)

    • Thank you, Pam! You should have touched it! LOL! I find myself touching other peoples’ clothes all the time, especially if they’re handmade!

  20. Wow! That dress is lovely! It looks breezy and cool. The color reminds me of the coral watermelons we ate from a friends farm. Love it!

  21. This is soooo pretty!! Your version is 1000 times better looking then the pattern model ones. And the color looks gorgeous against your skintone and hair.

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Mrs. Hughes: A retro inspired, vintage garment sewing and plus-size dressmaking blog by Tanya Maile Hughes.