Whoops, I Did It Again

This one is a little more restrained, or at least it seems to me. The bodice and skirt are made from some of the fabric I bought in China, and the front band, sleeves, and hem band are the fabric I bought from Kitty Craft in Korea. I barely had enough of the contrast fabric for the bands, so I lined them in the bodice fabric instead, which actually turned out to be a nice effect.

This went together incredibly quickly the second time (which was why I was able to make two in a day!) and I didn't make many changes. I put the sleeve bands on flat (MUCH easier) and I put in two pockets, instead of one (I've been conditioned to only put in one pocket, since most of my dresses have a zipper on one side. This dress, no zipper! So two pockets.)

I think I will make one more (not today!) and then I'll be done. For a while. I can seriously see myself wearing a variant this dress every day, and that, while amusing, might make me tire of it too quickly. I have to ration myself!

Here's the bodice, to see the contrast a bit better:


And here's the skirt, to see the other band:


The next will have more orange, I promise!

Comments

[Raven]

Very nice. I really like those two fabrics together, they compliment each other nicely. The effect of the two is nice and subtle. Can't wait to see the third!!

[Katie]

What a great fabric combination! I can't resist any longer...must sew Duro dress!

[Tailypo]

Erin, can we get a shot of the back? I'm curious to see how the ties look before I venture out in search of this pattern.

[Tiger Feet]

Yikes! You are amazing... Both these dresses are drop dead gorgeous. Any chance of some photos of you wearing them? My measurements are almost exactly a 12 according to McCalls, but my instinct is to go down - I was thinking 10, but do you think 8 is better? I know you posted about this in previous comments, just wasn't sure if you are between 10 and 12 or exactly one of those sizes, like I am. I'm worried that Mccalls uses vanity sizing a la Vogue, and I don't want to end up with something too billowy.

[Gigi]

Gorgeous! I love your choice of fabrics. Must finish my second one today just to keep up with you. ;-)

[Julie The Vintage Goddess]

I can seriously see myself wearing a variant this dress every day, and that, while amusing, might make me tire of it too quickly.That is too cute!I could see wearing that style a lot, it looks like a very comfy dress which is always a nice bonus.

[Gidget Bananas]

Those are great fabrics for this dress!

[enc]

Yes, these are the best yet, I think! Well done!

[IA]

Ooooh! Ravishing!!But I second the request to see it on. I have trouble imagining this style looking good on a real, live person with arms and stuff. Prove me wrong, please!

[Anonymous]

It's so sweet that I am speechless.

[jenny]

Holy cow, you're a busy bee! They're both fab. Call me crazy, but I think that I actually like the first one best: with red sandals? But then again, I'm really into black-and-white right now.Caroline, I know what you mean: I was 1.) crushed to see what size my measurements matched up to on the back of the pattern (though technically I know that "it's just a number..."), and 2.) puzzled as to just how much allowance the patterns typically include, and therefore, which size to make. I chose to go big rather than small, and ended up swimming in my blouse and fighting my bra straps all night at a wedding reception. Oy! Anyone for government-enforced size uniformity?

[erma]

They both look wonderful. Love the fabric combinations on both of them, but this one seems particularly inspired.

[shawn]

Wht a truly inspired combo. Very elegant.

[banquogirl]

Erin, this is beautiful, I love the cut, but worry about the tucks? pleats? under the bust - do they have the same effect as pleated pants over a tummy - sort of extra bulgy and not so nice? It's just that I already tend toward the Busty McChesty end of the spectrum and need zero added volume there...but it's such a very nice looking dress. Thanks for your wonderful blog.

[wisechick]

Okay Erin, I went out and bought this pattern first thing this morning because of you! Thanks for the inspiration!Hmmm... you make it look so easy, but it's not such an easy pattern. (Though without zippers or buttons, I shouldn't have much to complain about. Especially since I won't be adding pockets and I intend to get rid of that silly back seam.) This is definitely one of those patterns where ease matters. There's just too much ease built in for this to look flattering on anybody but a super tall stick thin figure. Even the illustrations look like they're wearing something with too much ease. (Your dress, however, looks like it's got the right amount of ease for the form that it's sitting on.)I think for anyone who wants to make this, consider going way smaller than you normally would. I'm normally a 14 in sewing patterns (and a 6-8 in Anthropologie sizes) and I intend to sew this dress in a size 6 or 8 (haven't decided yet). I, too, would love to see the dress on a real person (a back view would be nice). The model in the McCall's book looked horrible in this dress. But the fabric was all wrong. Too stiff.

[Mandy]

Here's another request for a model shot: Please can we see it on you? I'm dying to see how it looks. :)I love the fabric choices, both the non-muslin and the new one.

[Erin]

Hey guys, I'll try to wear one of these (probably the black and white one) when I'm at HousingWorks in NYC for the Literary Mag Festival next weekend, and make someone take my picture ... I'm slightly worried now that this is one of those dresses that only look good in my head! banquogirl, the vee on this is really deep, so I'm not sure how it would look on the Busty McChesty type ... I've only ever fallen into that category when nursing, and this dress is not nursing-friendly. Anyone else have an opinion? Wisechick, I went back and looked at the measurements, and I figured out that I decided to make the 8 because that would give me four inches of wearing ease at the waist. I knew the bust would be okay because of the wide sleeve, but I wanted to make sure the waist wasn't too caftan-y. In fact, the front band has almost no ease; it's all in the back.

[ita]

My memory's not so good, so I'm not sure if you have seen this dress from Anthropologie.

[Olivia Cobiskey]

I love the flower pattern. Where can I buy one of your dresses.

[Becky O.]

I have Kitty Craft envy!!! I love your Japanese fabric combo.You have a great eye and know just what fabrics make everyone smile...

[Margaret]

This dress pwneds all other dresses I've seen thus far this spring. The real question though, is how one would acessorize such 733tness. What shoes? Jewelry? Is a scarf too much?Damn, this dress is so gorgeous (the colors!!!) that it made me think I'm a hacker. Apologies, all. Dresses do that to me sometimes.

[Anonymous]

Erin, I highly recommend Newport News for cheap espadrilles. They're comfy and last a season, and if you don't like them, you're only out twenty bucks.I appreciate your notes about putting in the sleeve bands, but I'm curious about your comment re: easestitching the facing as well as the V? Would you mind emailing me more detailed instructions on this? I'd appreciate it muchly. I have a very narrow chest and V-necks do tend to gape on me. Thanks, hon!--Lydia

[Jen ~ MOMSPatterns]

I am entranced by the black & white version of this dress.. but you are a brave woman to wear the other! TOO many pattern colors, although interesting.. it hurts my eyes! lolYou sew good, though (pun intended)Jen

[anna]

wonderful! i'm planning to make this, and interested to know, how do you find the very 'open' sleeves? a commenter on an earlier post said they can be very revealing when you raise an arm.

[Vanessa]

What a cute dress! I love it. Now I must get this pattern. Thanks for sharing.