Home > Contributor Creations > The “Mother’s Little Helper” dress

The “Mother’s Little Helper” dress

posted March 21, 2012 / 4 Comments

Let me begin by saying that I don’t actually watch Mad Men.  I have tried several times but only made it part way through the first season.  I just feel too bad for the women.  The whole experience reminds me of the line from the Stones, “She goes running to the shelter of her mother’s little helper”.  Don’t worry I do think the dresses are beautiful.  Looking through the stills made me want  to spend hours on etsy finding just the right pattern.  I didn’t though because my big sewing goal for the year is to buy no new patterns and I’m sticking to it.  Instead I dug through my mostly modern stash and settled on making the full skirted shirt dress from Simplicity 2246.

I modified the pattern a bit.  Some to get a more Mad Men inspired look and some for fit.  I cut the bodice in a 16, the sleeves in an 18, and the skirt in a 22.  I didn’t make a muslin instead I basted the top together to check the fit.  I ended up deciding to make the darts a little bit smaller because I hadn’t read the directions and didn’t realize that the placket would add width.  If I make it again I probably won’t alter the darts but I also don’t mind the extra room.

The Facts

Pattern: Simplicity 2246

Year: modern

Notions: buttons, thread, and interfacing

First Worn: Friday

Wear Again: yes

Total Cost: Who can remember?  The fabric was on clearance though.

Time to Complete: Not nearly as long as I thought it would take.

Author

ejegmama

Stephanie mother tried to teach her how to sew growing up but she didn't really get serious about it until her 4 year old daughter was born and she wanted to put her in fancy smocked dresses. Since then, she has learned to smock and sew. Her blog and screen name come from the initials of her two children Elijah who is 8 and Emily who is 4.

24 posts http://ejegmama.blogspot.com/

4 Comments

Comments are closed.

  1. Krista
    March 21, 2012 at 2:15 pm

    I think it’s great how you took different sizes of a pattern to create a perfect fit. It didn’t ever occur to me that that could be an option. Great job.

  2. Sue
    March 25, 2012 at 12:56 pm

    The colors are lovely. The collar sits so well. From looking at the week’s offerings, I should have bought stock in Gallo!

    • Ejegmama
      March 25, 2012 at 2:09 pm

      Thanks so much. Its turned out to be a very wearable dress. It was also fun posing with the wine. I may have to do that a bit more often or maybe a nice pink cocktail for pink week.