DIY Dress: Vintage Pattern + Marimekko Unikko Fabric

My Mom sewed herself the prettiest DIY dress (with underlining!), using a 1960’s dress pattern and classic black and white Marimekko Unikko fabric!  Look at how beautifully it turned out:

60th Anniversary of Marimekko’s Unikko Print

This year is the 60th Anniversary of Marimekko’s Unikko print.  To celebrate, my friends at FinnStyle offered me my choice of any Marimekko Unikko fabric from their selection, to sew whatever I wanted.  My Mom has long lusted after the Marimekko dress I purchased from FinnStyle, many years ago, so I knew right away I wanted her to have her own!  And because the Unikko print was introduced to the world in 1964, I thought it would be fun to use a pattern from that decade.  My Mom used to have a massive collection of vintage patterns (you can see some here), but a lot of them were lost to water damage where they were stored.  Luckily she could save some, and we’ve continued to collect them.  Her collection is still a fraction of what it once was, but it does include some special patterns which belonged to my grandmother.  We spent days pouring over options – committed to choosing a pattern from the 1960’s that would ensure this bold and happy print is beautifully showcased.

What Vintage Sewing Pattern Did We Choose – and Why?

We ended up choosing vintage Butterick Pattern 4312, which is circa 1964 – perfect for the Unikko 60th Anniversary!  Plus this pattern belonged to my Finnish grandmother, so it seemed very fitting!  The pattern had been cut out and my Mummu had actually used it – luckily the adjustments she made to the pattern were exactly what my Mom wanted to adjust anyway.  So if you’re shopping for vintage patterns to use, check to see if the patterns have been used already.

We chose this pattern for this project because it didn’t have a lot of cuts, which meant that the Unikko blooms could be enjoyed in full.  Some patterns will really chop up a fabric, which can ruin the overall vibe of a large and dramatic print.  This pattern really encapsulated the style of that mod 1960’s feel of the Unikko design.  As well, although it was a vintage pattern, the aesthetic still felt really fresh – just like the Marimekko Unikko print.  Plus it’s a great pattern for all but our snowiest season; with little bell sleeves and a knee length, it can be paired with everything from pretty wedge sandals to sneakers or tights and chic boots.

I’m not going to share a detailed step-by-step for how to sew this dress, because instructions are included in the pattern, but I will share a brief overview, including tips for prepping cotton for sewing.  I will focus more on the underlining my Mom did, because it really finished the dress off so beautifully – and it’s not something I see people doing a lot in online dress sewing tutorials.  Plus I’ll share some photos of her completed DIY dress, as inspiration and for fun!

How to Prepare Cotton Fabric for Sewing:

This fabric comes off the bolt folded in half, with two selvage sides.  To prevent the fabric from being frayed/excessively wrinkled or twisted during laundering, sew across each cut end and down the side with the two selvages, using the largest stitch on your machine (a basting stitch).  Basically, you’re creating a closed piece of fabric.  This may seem like an unnecessary step, but with expensive fabric you want to ensure it comes out of the washing machine perfectly intact.  Wash in cold water, with a small amount of detergent, to remove any sizing/residue from manufacturing, etc., and to pre-shrink fabric.  Line dry (if that’s how you will launder your finished garment) or toss into the dryer on low heat.

What is Underlining?

What’s special about how my Mom sewed this DIY dress is that she chose to underline it.  Underlining a garment is basically like creating a 2-ply fabric: you’re adding another fabric underneath, but unlike a lining, you’re treating it exactly as you do the main layer for most of the construction.  While a lining may be loose in areas (think of the lining of a skirt, and how you could reach between your skirt fabric and the lining fabric) underlining is sewn into the construction and so you cannot reach between the layers of the finished garment.  For this project, my Mom decided to underline with a plain white cotton voile, which is a very lightweight cotton (cotton batiste is another common choice for underlining).

Why Add Underlining to a Dress?

Underlining adds body and stability to a fabric, which makes the finished garment more structured.  It also helps to minimize wrinkles.  Natural fabrics can wrinkle easily while you’re wearing a garment (for ex: sitting), and underlining helps reduce this to create a smoother finished piece.  Additionally, it provides a base for construction marks (for darts, seams, etc) so there’s no chance of those showing through the finished garment, while also hiding the seams for high contrast fabrics.  On a similar note, it’s a great way to hide hand stitching because hand stitching is done on the underlining, which makes hems invisible, adding an element of couture quality to handmade clothing.  Underlining can shift the color of a fabric – with this fabric, a white underlining helps increase the contrast of this bold print so the white looks even whiter.  Finally, underlining increases the opacity of fabric, meaning it won’t be see through at all, limiting the need for slips or even neutral under garments in some cases.

How to Sew a DIY Dress with Underlining:

1. Pre-treat fabric and underlining fabric (see above).
2. Cut out your pattern pieces (if it’s a multi-size pattern, choose your size).
3. Make adjustments to your pattern pieces as needed (lengthening the hem, shortening the sleeves, etc).
4. Lay the pattern pieces on the fabric, making sure to follow grain lines and direction of the fabric (if applicable – use the “with nap” pattern instructions provided).
5. Cut out the pattern pieces on the fabric.
6. Cut out the pattern pieces a second time, on the underlining fabric.
7. Mark any darts, waist lines, etc., on the underlining fabric (you don’t need to mark on the fabric, if using underlining).
8. Baste the underlining, by hand, to the fabric, between the seam line and the edge of the fabric (close to the seam line).
9. Tip: Baste each side separately (meaning don’t stitch around corners – stop and start on each side).
10. Once the underlining is basted to the fabric, you can continue as if those two layers are one piece of fabric.
11. Proceed to follow pattern instructions for construction of the garment.
12. Once the garment is sewn, remove the basting used to hold the underlining to the fabric.
13. With underlining, you can then trim the underlining and fold the inside seams over the underlining, and hand stitch them for a nice finish without a serger.

Cut out your pattern pieces (if it’s a multi-size pattern, choose your size).

Lay the pattern pieces on the fabric, making sure to follow grain lines and direction of the fabric (if applicable – use the “with nap” pattern instructions provided).

Baste the underlining to the fabric, between the seam line and the edge of the fabric (close to the seam line).

Once the underlining is basted to the fabric, you can continue as if those two layers are on piece of fabric and proceed with pattern instructions as normal.

With underlining, you can then trim the underlining and fold the inside seams over the underlining and hand stitch them for a nice finish without a serger.

Finished DIY Dress with Underlining:

Here is my Mom’s completed DIY dress with underlining.  With the method outlined above, there’s no machine stitching showing on the outside of the dress and the inside is very neatly done, with no frayed edges.

DIY Dress Using Vintage Pattern and Marimekko’s Unikko Fabric:

Right side out, the completed dress is so stunning!  I love that my Mom chose one of my Mummu’s patterns – I wish we had a photo of my grandmother wearing her version of this pattern.  She’s no longer with us, but I wish we could have shown her how the finished dress turned out.  But I’m so happy to be able share with you!

The gathered neck and darts adds some shape to an otherwise mod and swinging 1960’s dress pattern.  You can see in these photos what I meant about this pattern not cutting up the fabric too much:

Why is Marimekko Fabric Special?

The quality of Marimekko fabric, most of which is printed in Finland, is wonderful.  We’ve handled a LOT of fabric – my Mom has sewed professionally, and together we’ve done a lot of DIY sewing projects for our own homes and closets – and it’s always a pleasure to sew with nice quality fabric.  My Mom and I have also sewn with Marimekko fabric before as well, and the quality has remained excellent: the cotton fiber itself is high quality and also spun very well.  She’s enjoying wearing the dress, which has a nice drape thanks to the high quality.  It dried very quickly and nicely, with no noticeable shrinkage during laundering.  It barely needed to be ironed!  For this dress we used Marimekko Pieni Unikko Black / White Cotton Fabric.  Though underlining wasn’t necessary, it does mean my Mom doesn’t need to worry about the white background being see through at all, and it made the pattern pop a little!

It was so much fun to use a sentimental vintage dress pattern from my Mom’s vintage pattern collection.  Surprisingly, we haven’t really used a lot of the patterns because we just like looking at them!  But now I definitely want to look through them again and choose another one to make something for myself, and hopefully this inspired you to as well.  Thank you to FinnStyle for the beautiful fabric – and motivation…  If you’re not into sewing a DIY dress, check out their website for beautiful Marimekko Unikko home wares and accessories.