Picnic Ready

This was one of my favorite projects of the Summer.

The fabric and pattern combination was a happy coincidence which led me to work with a recently released pattern instead of letting it languish in the stash and eventually be forgotten (I have to remember to work with new to me patterns more expeditiously in the future).

And while there was a bit of frustration with the bulk of my chosen fabric and the corners of those fabulous pockets, overall, this project came together without too much frustration.

And I managed to sneak in a second project with my leftover fabric, which is one of my favorite things to do.  It makes me feel as though I am getting away with something.  

I used to wear bolero sweaters/jackets all of the time, and I cannot recall why I stopped.  I feel more cropped jackets and sweaters being added to the project queue sometime soon.

The fact that I had the perfect vintage buckle already on hand was just frosting on the cake.

I did have plans to make another version of this dress in a more novelty themed fabric, and I may get to that next year, but I am glad that this dress had her moment to shine during the warmer months.  

It has also confirmed my love of textured fabrics.  It's difficult to tell in these photos, but this is a checkered print that was applied to a cotton piqué. 

I may have purchased a few other piqué prints from Mood Fabrics when I picked this up, and I am quite certain that they will be put to good use in the near future.

Why is it so difficult to find textured fabrics, by the way?  Where are they hiding?

The urge to knit hasn't kicked in just yet, and I am temped to start another lightweight frock, but I feel like my next sewing project should be Fall appropriate.  And I am determined to complete a coat or jacket of some kind this year (or maybe I will give myself until February to complete that task!).  But it's hard to beat a cotton sundress and bolero jacket combo, and it won't be long before I am making another.

Dress & Belt: Made by me, Simplicity 9536
Bolero:  Made by me, "Dorothy" Bolero