So, after I finished yesterday's shirtdress (that is, the shirtdress I posted yesterday; I didn't make a damn thing yesterday except trouble) I was pleased enough by the results to jump in with another, this time in Liberty lawn. (I did wear the first dress once before making a second -- you never really know how a dress has turned out until you wear it for a whole day.)
This one is a very lightweight Tana lawn, which is killing me ... because I made it back in January to wear on a quick trip to sunny California, and since then it's been too friggin' cold in Chicago to wear it here! I take comfort in the fact that the Trib's weatherguy has pointed out that March usually sees at least ONE 70-degree day each year. I'll take mine March 1, please.
Again, I shortened the sleeves and added pockets. Also, I forgot to mention that the gray dress was about 5/8ths of an inch too short in the bodice (I overestimated my short-waistedness, for once) so for this dress I let it back out again. This dress, too, has a button at the waist!
Instead of using the Pellon Shirtailor interfacing on the collar and button/buttonhole facings, I used silk organza, which turned out to be the right idea. It's not too stiff but it does reinforce the fabric just enough. I can't remember where I purchased the organza I used for this dress (I have a suspicion it was left over from a fancy dress I made in 1995), but I just bought some more from Dharma Trading, which seems fine. Since I sew with a lot of light colors I mostly just buy off-white organza and use it for everything. If I did more dark sewing I'd probably buy a couple yards of black silk organza to have around.
Because the lawn and the organza are both so light, I just basted the organza to the facing (just inside the fold) with a long running machine stitch, and then finished the edges by zig-zagging all around them. It sounds more complicated than it is, believe me.
I forget the actual name of this Liberty print -- in my head I call it "martini olive." I bought it on the first trip to Shaukat, I think.
Tomorrow: a long-sleeved corduroy version.
Beautiful! Perfect for that first warm day. What kind of shoes do you wear with your dresses? This is always a sticky point for me, because I have to have something I can stand in all day, but not look like a 3rd grader or my grandmother who has bad feet.
Posted by: paisleyapron | 02/27/2008 at 07:34 AM
Erin, this is quite charming...and right on the button! (Sorry, I couldn't resist...)
Posted by: the_lazymilliner | 02/27/2008 at 07:35 AM
Sarah, I've been wearing flat penny loafers for that co-ed look. :-) Very comfy, too.
Posted by: Erin | 02/27/2008 at 07:37 AM
I love how this turned out. It's perfect for Spring.
Posted by: Stephanie | 02/27/2008 at 07:58 AM
I would make the dress in a black/pink print and wear it with my new mary jane type sneakers- the kind that zig zag back and forth and velcro shut. I can't wait for spring to wear my new shoes with my dresses- today we have 12 inches of snow and its zero degrees with windchill!
Posted by: divajean | 02/27/2008 at 08:03 AM
I love this one even more than yesterdays. Can't wait to see the long sleeve corduroy!
Posted by: Theresa | 02/27/2008 at 08:12 AM
Those buttons are a delightful lemonade-y shade of yellow!
Posted by: MadeByAmanda | 02/27/2008 at 08:18 AM
Beautiful dress! Good call on the organza as interfacing, when I worked at Barbara Matera's (costume shop) that's what we used to interface 95% of all collars and plackets. And when you need something heavy there's "Super" organza, which is wonderful wonderful stuff, but unfortunately I haven't been able to find it outside of New York.
Posted by: Me | 02/27/2008 at 08:25 AM
This dress is just right! Lovely fabric!
Posted by: Ladygrande (Texas Marie) | 02/27/2008 at 08:36 AM
The dresses are beautiful - and they look fun to wear. Thank you so much for sharing - it is nice to see the dresses you talk of so often!
Posted by: Bex | 02/27/2008 at 08:38 AM
Love it! Maybe your 70 degree day can be around March 20th--this is the perfect dress to usher in Spring!
Posted by: HouseMouse | 02/27/2008 at 09:02 AM
I buy all my silks, organza, china silk and charmuse, for linings and slips at Dharma Trading. Very good pricing, perfectly fine quality and I can dye it if I want something other than white (I've never tried to dye the organza).Aurelia
Posted by: Anonymous | 02/27/2008 at 10:17 AM
Wow, wonderful dress! Casual yet pretty. I love the grey spotted one as well.
Posted by: Nancy Bea Miller | 02/27/2008 at 10:32 AM
Beautiful dress! Do you machine wash it,or do you have to dry clean it since you use the silk organza?
Posted by: Karen | 02/27/2008 at 11:03 AM
Karen -- thanks! Machine wash and dry ... all the way. I wash the heck out of the organza before sewing and it does just fine.
Posted by: Erin | 02/27/2008 at 11:05 AM
Organza, great hint.Love, love, love that print.
Posted by: Julie The Vintage Goddess | 02/27/2008 at 12:18 PM
This looks breezy and fabulous! EXTREMELY well done. The world will LOVE you as you come bopping down the street.Im honing in on my first project, which may be overly ambitious (though Im fully prepared to slave over a muslin version first to work out the kinks.) I want a simple, 60s style sleeveless sheath with round collar to wear under brightly colored beaded sweaters and vintage jackets. Once I get the pattern and technique down, Ill basically be set for the next few years if I make it in beige, black, white, turquoise, etc (in linen, imitation shantung, etc.) This first pattern is right, but the wrong size: http://www.lanetzliving.net/inc/sdetail/47559This other one is the correct size and very appealing (as it has both Quick and Easy stamped on it) (!), but it looks like the easy part is there arent rounded armholes, which would be the whole point when layered with something: http://momspatterns.com/inc/sdetail/11277Ugh. I think I have to keep looking.
Posted by: Cookie | 02/27/2008 at 12:59 PM
Ever the mundane: how do you launder it?
Posted by: bani | 02/27/2008 at 01:02 PM
I throw it in the washer, seriously. Sometimes I even remember to turn the dial back to "perm press" from "towels".
Posted by: Erin | 02/27/2008 at 01:09 PM
Very pretty and springy - and it is 70 degrees where I live. Send it on down!!!:)
Posted by: Anonymous | 02/27/2008 at 02:26 PM
And the organza hasn't gone miffy on you? That I like, I think silk organza seems like a brilliant whatchamacallit - cooler and let's not forget a little more luxurious... *hates dry-clean only labels*Stay away from the boil wash though.
Posted by: bani | 02/27/2008 at 02:26 PM
This is a lovely dress! What do you wear underneath it? Do you make your own slips, too?(Sorry if this posts twice...I got a blogger error the first time so who knows...)
Posted by: kate | 02/27/2008 at 02:30 PM
Martini olives - that's exactly what I thought when I first eyed that print! What color cardigan goes with? Orange would be great, though it might have to be, sorry, "olive"!
Posted by: Cherie | 02/27/2008 at 02:32 PM
Lively, charming, spritely... I want to keep going on and on. Great dress and thanks for sharing the details.
Posted by: Margot | 02/27/2008 at 02:38 PM
Could you wear a long sleeve shirt underneath? It might not be appropriate for snow, but it could work on a 50 or 60 degree day, especially with tights.Very pretty!
Posted by: Mcfilibuster | 02/27/2008 at 03:05 PM