Hey, all! This will be a photo-intensive post, but to ameliorate how much reading you'll need to do here, I will save the nitty-gritty details about construction and pattern/fabric reviewing to the posts on that I have made at either PatternReview.com or the Fabric Mart blog. Those links are scattered about. :-)
I hope all of you have been well. I have the night off from children and hubby (
I am in Georgia with his family and they all want to go and get Krystal and see a movie, I gently declined both), so I am using it to my full advantage!
This is a dress I made in April for our annual auction at our school. This year's theme was "My Big Fat Greek Auction," and it was recommended to wear dressy blue and white. I think I accomplished that. ;-)
The other years I have done the same, made up a dress to go with the theme. Last year's was on Space,
so I crafted a galaxy printed dress, and the year prior was Kentucky Derby, and for that I made
a floral sheath and paired it with a light blue hat.
The dress is made using
Vogue 1499, an Anne Klein pattern, that features a full, pleated skirt, and a fitted bodice with distinct seamed details and cap sleeves.
It was an easy make, but because I lost any stretch in my fabric by placing the border so it would run parallel to the floor, I had to be extra sure I was right about my size on my bottom half. It fits, and it fits well, but if I gain any weight between my waist and hip, I will definitely be unable to wear it in the future. (
Must always ensure I get my steps in and swim!!!)
This dress is magic,
I can see why Anne Klein has it in her collections.
(It is also available in a yellow stripe and grey stripe!) It is very fit and flare, so it truly emphasizes the waist, and if you use a border print fabric, you can make sure to place the print in a way that draws the eye to it.
The fabric was a leftover from Maggy London (her London Times line), and because I like to sleuth for designer fabrics and how they were used originally,
I found this pin of the same fabric being used in a similar way.
I had a great time at the party, and the dress did well, as I felt comfortable and a bit carefree.
I wrote a blog post at Fabric Mart and
did a review of this at Pattern Review, if you would like to see more on this make.
I made this dress for my June make for Fabric Mart. I was unsure of where I would wear it, but after I was done with it, I decided it was comfortable and lightweight enough to wear to a winesday night a few weeks back. It held up well, and didn't wrinkle at all, even though it was steamy and hot that day.
The dress is made from a silk double georgette, which is (
to quote a lol sentence I recently read in a sewing forum) "the devil's favorite fabric." It is a right B**CH to work with, and though I spare you the details on working with it here, you can read all about it over at the Fabric Mart blog (
link is below the last photo).
For all of its work, the fabric sure is beautiful, and suited the pattern's silhouette quite well. And because I underlined it in a light blue cotton voile, it was easier to work with (eventually). It also was incredibly breathable and airy and feels fabulous next to my skin.
The pattern is a reprint of a vintage 1969 Simplicity pattern. It is
Simplicity 1059, and is an a-line shaped shift dress with a v-neck, and can be made sleeveless or with longer sleeves.
I knew I couldn't choose a pattern that was super fitted or had too many seams with the georgette, so this fit the bill perfectly.
This was a very simple make, and had I chosen another material (like a cotton lawn), I would have had a very quick make on my hands. I definitely think I can push one of these out in a few hours given a less fussy material.
Apropos of nothing, this shot makes me laugh. Angus wants to be in all my photos now. I love this shot, it's one of my favorites since his recent turn as ootd photo bomber.
This dress was
written up at the Fabric Mart blog.
The pattern was reviewed at Pattern Review, as well.
I was in Indiana with my bestie, Lynn, in May, and because I can't ever say no to the siren song of a fabric store, we went to Joann's where I spied this beautiful and luscious Nicole Miller (
for Joann Fabrics) scuba knit.
I had no plan for it, but I knew I wanted to make it ASAP, and probably in a dress. I have worn it a few times since, including on a recent trip to Wisconsin (
to the House on the Rock, which if you know this place, you will know my dress looks muted in comparison, lol).
This is made from
McCall's 7122, which is a dress that features raglan sleeves, a slight a-line skirt, and a slight scoopneck.
The back was cut in two separate pieces, and though I prefer to sew up ones cut on the fold, this type of seaming means there is a gentle shaping, which helps shape the dress to the waist and the hips. I really do like the shape of this garment, and have plans to make future dresses from this pattern.
The fabric is crazy, but as you all know, I like the crazy colors and crazy prints. I am not quite to Pucci levels of crazy,
but I appreciate the Pucci lovers out there for their unconditional love of the crazy. ;-)
Nicole Miller has quite a few fabrics with Joann's,
you can check them out here.
The pattern review is at Pattern Review.
My birthday make! I always like to have a special bday dress, and this year was no exception. I had seen this fabric a few months back in one
Julie's Picks (
it's a member only fabric subscription service) and I knew I would have it and make it as soon as I could.
In the end, a comfortable, feminine dress was on order, and I really loved wearing out that evening. I went to
China Chilcano, which is a Jose Andres restaurant that fuses Peruvian food with Chinese and Japanese food. It was amazing,
and I really enjoyed my Pisco. Yum. After we went to see "The Lobster," a kind of terrible (
probably in a good way) hipster movie at a super hipster movie theater. BUT! One of the actresses,
Lea Seydoux, is a July 1 baby, too, so I was in the virtual company of a fellow 7/1 child. (It's also the bday of
Gigi of CA, my actual birthday twin
Sufjan Stevens, and of course,
CANADA!)
The fabric is a cotton stretch poplin, and features these little triangles in varying shapes and sizes abutting each other. It is very distinctive. The color is a deep brown/orange color and white, and I definitely do not have anything in this color in my closet. Would I have loved this more in a different color? Probably. Am I better off having it in a shade I don't have anything in? Yes, for sure.
Blurry shot, but it shows the adorable cutout back nicely. This is why I made this pattern up, because it has this cutout. It is made from
Butterick 6351, and features a straighter skirt with an elastic waistband (back only), a tulip shaped crossover back bodice, and a button closure.
I had to line the skirt in a slippy fabric to ensure it didn't get caught on my underwear, but other than that, I kept to the plan of the pattern very closely. I love this cutout. It is very summer, and since my birthday is very summer, too, I couldn't think of a better choice for my (
much older than I think I am) birthday.
Here's a closeup of the fabric. Swoon. So pretty and different.
After sitting for a while at China Chilcano, the dress became a bit crumpled, but it still did well overall. I told my hubby to take a photo of me in front of the FBI building because I understand they are meant to raze one of my favorite buildings in the city (
yes, I am one of fifteen fans of Brutalist architecture).
This dress was reviewed at Pattern Review. :-)
I hope you all are having a great summer! I'll check back in with you soon.
P.S. Boden fans, they have upped their sale to "up to 60% off" with an extra 15% off dresses and tops and skirt. That's decent. I just wish they had more in their sale, instead of shuffling some of the older spring and summer stock to "new and now." The link to the sale is below and remember to use the code
3W5C for the extra 15% off those extra items that are eligible.
End of season sale! Extra 15% off Sale Dresses, Tops & Tees, and Mens/Boys Shirts., valid 7/7-7/1
