My new dress is finished! I am not sure a girl can ever have enough
cotton summer frocks!
As I have previously mentioned, yellow and I have a
contentious relationship. My mom
reminded me that this yellow fabric was used for Mr. Tino’s Mad Hatter costume (he
looks stunning in any color!). But it was
originally purchased for Butterick 4512, and has certainly come in handy. I have some bits left, and will definitely
keep them in the scrap drawer for future use.
Just like the yellow contrast, this blue print was made for
quilting. I have had quite a bit of luck
using quilting cotton for apparel sewing – mostly, I would guess, because I expected
it to behave as a stiff cotton with quite a bit of body. Full skirted dresses from the 1950s and 60s
are made for this kind of fabric. On the
other hand, I would never use a quilting cotton for a design that required drape of
any kind! The prints are sometimes too
cute to pass up, but no matter how perfect that bow print would look in a 1940s style, I know I will not be happy with the finished product because of the limitations of the fabric.
This particular print is directional, which always makes me nervous when cutting a circle skirt. In
this instance, I decided to go for it.
To make things even easier, and since I had the extra yardage, I cut the
back pieces on the fold – no need to match the print!
It has been so very windy lately, which makes for an
interesting photo shoot - the majority of the time is spent pushing my hair out of my face. But I suppose I
should be glad the sun is shining.
My knitting needles have been getting a bit of a workout
lately, and hopefully I will be able to find some suitable buttons and finish that as well! Must fight the summer slump . . .
Dress: Made by me,
Butterick 5748
Petticoat: Made by me, self-drafted
Shrug: Ann Taylor
Loft
Shoes: Franco Sarto
Your dress looks fab! I have this pattern and have been too scared to make it up. You've inspired me to give it a go!
ReplyDeleteAgreed, a gal can never, ever have too many cute cotton summer dresses, especially when they're as spectacularly pretty and vintage inspired as this fabulous blue and yellow gem (which I totally love!).
ReplyDelete♥ Jessica
So cute! Really like the pop of yellow.
ReplyDeleteCute dress! I've been wanting to make up this pattern some time. I love that you used contrasting bows. :) Yay for knitting! I've been knitting a bit too this summer (definitely more than last summer when I didn't touch my needles for about 3 months... :( ) You always knit (and sew) such lovely things that I can't wait to see what you come up with next.
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ReplyDeleteThat's so pretty! I really love the piping at the waist. I've been wanting to make this dress for over a year, and this one is making me move it up in my queue!
ReplyDeleteThis is WAY cuter than the pattern illustration. The contrast bow and piping add a lot but mostly it's the perfect fit and your styling that really bring out the best in this design. Gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteYou look like a pretty Monet painting in that dress!
ReplyDeleteWow , Laura, you really did a great job and also look fabulous in your creation. Why don't you start making some vintage, 20's, 30's , 40's clothes and send the photos to the San Francisco Art Deco Society. I'll bet that there would be some buyers.... Love, Kathie Kertesz ( your Mom's friend and a fan of your work.)
ReplyDeleteLovely dress! It really turned out great with the bow and piping details. It looks fabulous with the sweater too!
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to drop you a note an say hello. My machine has been in storage the last few years as I've been super-busy with homeschooling and babies, but the crafty bug bit me this week so I went on Pattern Reviews to choose some projects to work on this month. The funny thing is, the last three patterns I chose all brought me to this website. We must have the same taste in clothes.
ReplyDeleteYou are obviously a talented seamstress, and I enjoyed checking out the finished products on your blog. Take care!
Marcie
Had to look it up! Very cute and I'm not very excited to make mine :)
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