Firecracker's Blog

WIW: tencel denim dress

June 5, 2015

I've been seeing so many chambray and denim dresses, when I saw some nice tencel denim fabric, I knew I wanted to make one.
I'm happy with how it turned out, and wore it today to work. I machine-embroidered flowers in denim tones on the fabric before sewing it together.

The outfit (worn to work):
Tencel denim drop-waist, round-necked, long-sleeved dress, with floral embroidery in denim tones down one side of the bodice and the other side of the skirt (made by me); denim flats with navy patent cap-toe and tan belt detail (AGL). Not pictured: I wore a jacket over and black capri leggings under the dress, plus a helmet, to bike to work.

Thanks for looking! I welcome your comments and thoughts.

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Posted in the What I Wore category
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33 Comments

  • approprio replied 9 years ago

    Just beautiful. I love what you did with the flowers. I can see this working well with boots in the autumn too.

  • Firecracker (Sharan) replied 9 years ago

    Yay! Thanks, Approprio. That's a good idea. I can see either pair of my spat boots with it (black or olive distressed suede).

  • Tina replied 9 years ago

    Wow! That is a work of art, amazing!
    I think this style suits you and I can picture it looking right with leggings as well.
    I like to sew as well and can appreciate the time and effort that goes into a project. I am very impressed.

  • Karie replied 9 years ago

    This is gorgeous, girlfriend! Your sewing and embroidery skills are amazing. I love, love, love this!

  • Elizabeth P replied 9 years ago

    Wow.  You are talented, a visionary, and very very stylish :).  This is SO cool!

  • pil replied 9 years ago

    Looks great - another amazing piece by you! Unrelated, but it brings back memories (thanks :) ) of a jumper/sleeveless dress I made when I was expecting my second son. Lightweight denim with a dropped waist and gathered skirt. No fabulous embroidery but it was my first real attempt at button holes (down the entire front) and they were actually successful.

  • jackiec replied 9 years ago

    Wow! Look at your handiwork! I agree with Approprio - so fab with boots in the autumn!

  • Staysfit replied 9 years ago

    Slam dunk! That is yet another beautiful creation! I would try adding some colorful accents, although that may be hard to do in a way that doesn't take away from the beauty of the floral design. Maybe just a small amount is all, in the form of some sort of jewelry? Not sure? Shoes? You have an excellent shoe collection, so shoes may be the better way.

  • Deborah replied 9 years ago

    Wow, such a beautiful dress! You are so clever:). This looks beautiful on you and I love the idea iPod your spat boots with this. Tencel is such a lovely fabric.

  • Firecracker (Sharan) replied 9 years ago

    Staysfit, good idea! I would definitely wear my orange sandals with this dress. (They are a richer color than in the Finds picture and look great with denim shades.)
    Thanks, everyone for your lovely comments on the dress. I have not ventured too far into embroidery on my clothes (or anything, for that matter), but I'm teaching more of it at work, so I'll be trying to  incorporate bits of it into my style, in ways that will work for me. I do enjoy wearing boho elements.

  • Joy replied 9 years ago

    I love this on you. You can wear the tricky drop waist! You are a talented designer

  • unfrumped replied 9 years ago

    How amazing! The embroidery really setes it apart. I love Tencel for shirts snd tops also for its drape but many are too casual distressed. Wish I sewred so could combine fabric + just the right garment. Your dress is fab.

  • Suz replied 9 years ago

    What a beautiful dress! And I love the idea of wearing with those orange sandals -- that will make it even more fun. The embroidery on the dress is so ingenious -- I love the diagonals it makes. 

  • Kristin L replied 9 years ago

    How lovely! The dress looks great and I love the flowers. I think the orange sandals would look great with it as well. 

  • Helena replied 9 years ago

    You shine in this dress!

  • kkards replied 9 years ago

    once again, blown away by what you can create! love the flowers…

  • kellygirl replied 9 years ago

    The embroidery and the dress are divine. That shade of blue is stunning on you too. You look amazing!

  • Debbie replied 9 years ago

    Your creativity blows me away. The dress fits you perfectly and I love the details on it.

  • Olivegreen replied 9 years ago

    That looks so proportional and relaxed on you.

  • karymk replied 9 years ago

    OMG that is soooo nice!! Holy cow. Can you tell me how to get those denim appliqued I am dying to do a jeans project I saw on Manrepeller.

  • Nebraskim replied 9 years ago

    That is beautiful. Did you design the dress pattern, too, or use a premade one? I have kind a poison eye for tencel as I don't care for the hand of the fabric (it always feels sort of chilly and wet to me) but I love how it drapes. It's lovely in this application.

  • Firecracker (Sharan) replied 9 years ago

    Thanks, everyone!

    Karen, I saw your post about the Manrepeller appliqued jeans. you can buy appliques at a fabric store and sew them on to the knees of the pants. I think that would be the easiest way.

    Nebraskim, the pattern is one I've had for about 10 years, the Provence Dress, from Textile Studio. Still available, I believe, from the website.

  • Rubygirl replied 9 years ago

    Awesome job.. I wish I had the time to sew my own clothes again. I love the style of this dress.

  • karymk replied 9 years ago

    Firecracker do they have appliques like yours at the fabric store because I don't want just any old thing!

  • Jaime replied 9 years ago

    Great dress!

  • rachylou replied 9 years ago

    Lovely dress. I also thought boots too would go great.

  • Firecracker (Sharan) replied 9 years ago

    Karen, my dress isn't actually appliqued, it's embroidered right on the fabric. But with an embroidery machine, you could do that, too, right on the jeans. (You would need to open up one of the seams to do it.) Or you could do it by hand. I'm not sure what kind of appliques they'll have at the fabric store, but you could look and see if anything has the feel that you want. You could also create your own applique; on second look at the ones on Manrepeller, it looks like a fairly simple design. I can't tell if the white part is fabric (applique) or thread (embroidery). But you could do what you want and really make it your own. Another technique would be to get some lace fabric and cutout a section of it to applique onto the pants.

  • Staysfit replied 9 years ago

    Yes to the orange shoes!

  • replied 9 years ago

    Lovely job on the applique Sharan. The dress shape really suits you too. I love the idea of a coral or orange shoe with it.

  • Tania replied 9 years ago

    Amazing work.  And I think those orange shoes are a great match.

  • anne replied 9 years ago

    Sharan, that embroidery is gorgeous. And so is the dress! You are so talented at sewing- and have such a good eye and imagination to conceive of these things you then go on to make!

  • Sara L. replied 9 years ago

    Great dress!  I love the angles of the embroidery.

  • Robin replied 9 years ago

    Creative embroidery placing! I like the sounds of it - well-balanced detailing but unexpected at the same time.

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Welcome to my style blog. Dressing is something all of us do each day, but for me it is also a hobby. I like to find new ways to wear the clothes I have, make new clothes to add to my wardrobe (yes, sewing is another hobby!), shop for clothes, read and discuss fashion. Following You Look Fab has fueled my interest in taking outfit pictures to see where I've been and to get different perspectives on style. Thanks for joining me. I always appreciate hearing your thoughts.