Earlier this week, I wrote that, as a designer, I feel a deep connection to Donna Karan. Today, for DIY Thursday, we feature a Donna Karan dress constructed in The School of Making style. It works up beautifully using our 100% Organic and Extra-Long Staple Medium-Weight Cotton Jersey in a single layer and with our organic lightweight cotton jersey in a double layer for the Outside Reverse Applique, as detailed in Alabama Studio Sewing + Design.

To make your own basic Donna Karan à la The School of Making dress:

SUPPLIES

Donna Karan Vogue Pattern #V1175
2 yards of 60”-wide Medium-Weight Cotton Jersey
1 spool Button Craft Thread
Basic sewing supplies: Scissors, pins, needles, ruler, rotary cutter
Alabama Stitch Book, Alabama Studio Style, or Alabama Studio Sewing + Design: All three of these books contain the basic sewing and embroidery techniques we used to make our version of this dress.

Follow the (very concise) Vogue instructions exactly as written for everything but the neckline and armhole finishing. Hand-sew all seams with a straight stitch, using a single strand of thread on our medium-weight cotton jersey. We omitted the lining of the dress, as our fabric is substantial enough that a lining is unnecessary. We felled our seams for the dress above, but that is a matter of taste and desired style.

For the neckline and armholes, we applied our standard rib-binding with Cretan stitch, but any stretchable embroidery stitch (such as cross-stitch or herringbone stitch) will work as well.  Leave hem raw.

DESIGN CHOICES

Fabric Color – 100% Organic Medium-Weight Cotton Jersey in Carmine
Thread Color – Cream
Knots – Inside
Binding Stitch – Cretan

To make your own Donna Karan à la The School of Making outside reverse appliqué dress:

Supplies:

Donna Karan Vogue Pattern #V1175
2 yards of 60”-wide Medium-Weight Cotton Jersey for top layer
2 yards of 60”-wide Medium-Weight Cotton Jersey for backing layer (in same color as top layer or in a contrasting color, as desired)
Anna’s Garden stencil
Textile paint
Basic sewing supplies: Scissors, pins, needles, ruler, rotary cutter

Cut out your pattern pieces in the desired size from your fabric for the top layer and repeat by cutting matching pattern pieces for the backing layer. Stencil your cut top layer of the dress with the Anna’s Garden stencil and textile paint. Pin together the top and bottom layers of each pattern piece, right sides of both layers facing up.  Using a single strand of Button Craft thread and straight stitch, embroider the Anna’s Garden pattern using the reverse appliqué technique from Alabama Studio Sewing + Design.

After all of the pattern pieces are completed, sew the dress by hand using a single strand of Button Craft thread and following the instructions for the basic dress above.

DESIGN CHOICES

Fabric Color (Top and Backing Layers) – 100% Organic Medium-Weight Cotton Jersey in Carmine
Stencil – Anna’s Garden
Treatment – Outside reverse appliqué
Textile Paint Color – Grey
Thread Color – Red
Knots – Inside
Binding Stitch – Cretan