Lily Pad

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