A Dress A Day

Another Couple of Liberty 8728s

I don't think I've posted these yet -- forgive the shaky pictures -- but I made two other 8728s before I went to Australia: 

 

 

Here's the back view:

This is Liberty (of course) -- Percy's Leaf (from Shaukat). 

And this, in Mike (also Liberty from Shaukat) -- a closeup of the bodice (kind of a shadowy picture, sorry): 

And a shaky picture of the back:

 

I know I'm not done with 8728 just yet -- it makes up SO nicely! It's so easy to wear! -- but I'm thinking it might be time for another shot at the Heidi ... what do you all think?

Big in Japan

Fabric is, don't you know:

That's the Japanese Liberty print I bought in Tokyo, oh, lo these many weeks ago. (If you hadn't noticed, I got a bit behind on blogging there before Christmas ... sorry about that.) I bought it at the same place I went to back in 2008 --- so glad it was still there! 

It took me a while to choose this -- I really wanted something dark, but of course all the spring prints were calling to me. I should have taken pictures of the runners-up, but they were mostly dark ditsy florals. This one has a little more heft to it, and the olive color is just gorgeous. Here, have a closer look: 

 

Not quite sure what this will be yet, but Vogue 8728 is a strong contender ... 

 

You Can't, You Won't, And You Don't Stop: 8728

Those of you who asked for more: here you go. Those of you rolling your eyes and thinking "How many of these Vogue 8728s can she MAKE?" should brace yourselves; this is not the last by a long shot ...

I wore this in a colder-weather place pretty successfully (I think) over a thin longsleeved black t-shirt and black tights, under a longer sweater. That much layering made me feel just a little too Lucky Mag, but hey, I managed to avoid carrying a completely impractical handbag and wearing eight different necklaces, so perhaps I dodged that particular bullet.  

On to more pictures!

 

 

Oh, this is Liberty fabric, too, part of the haul I purchased back in May at Shaukat. I deliberately limited myself to darker colors while there; I usually buy all brights and then feel weird wearing them in November. Soon I will have a whole slew of Novembery dresses! (Your hemisphere may vary.)

I do have a non-8728 dress to post, that will come later this week!

Guess What? More 8728!

So, of all the things I love about Vogue 8728, the fact that it works so well with Liberty Tana Lawn is probably the thing I love the most. Here it is in "First Prize": 

Bodice is ready for close-up:

 

And the rear view:

 

I wasn't sure if this pattern would work for fall/autumn/rainy season, but in a dark color it does well, don't you think. I think I can even wear this with boots (nb: I have not tested this hypothesis yet). 

There have been two questions in the comments I haven't answered yet; one is "how does this work for bust(y|ier) people?" That's a good question. I am not sure I would wear this if I were a D cup or bigger, without serious underpinnings (or even with). The gathers do, um, emphasize the region, and part of the charm is that curved waistband. But if you're on the cups-runneth-over side and have made this, please leave a comment! 

The other question was about the depth of the armholes. I think they're okay, myself, but if you have a "no visible bra side panel" policy, this dress is not for you (or you have to tighten up that seam a little). 

The main danger with this dress is that I will never wear anything else. It is that good. So easy to make, so easy to wear ...  

Well Hello, Kitty

Y'all have already seen the new Hello Kitty fabric from Liberty, yes? (Thanks to Sherri for reminding me to post about this.) I love the idea but I'm slightly meh about the execution. It's too floral for me. Where are my beloved geometrics?

Oh, here they are, from their "Rock Star" (oh, sorry, "Liberty Rocks") line: 

Turns out that guy from the Stone Roses is now an artist. Who knew? (The whole Artist line is pretty cool, actually.)

The other disappointment is that only the Tana Lawn is available on their site, although supposedly the fabric is also available in the (much more versatile) poplin weave as well. (Dear Liberty, Please make more poplin. Also, how about a "Famous Scientists Design for Liberty" line? Love, Erin.)

Do you have a favorite in the new line? 

Vogue 8728: This Time It's Liberty

So Vogue 8728, which I posted about the other day, looks even better (I think) in Liberty "Mark": 

 

Here's a fuzzier full-length view:

And a close-up of the neck binding:

You can't really see the fabric's lusciousness in those pictures, so looky here:

And for the more technically-inclined among you, here's how I reinforced the pocket opening on the zipper side with organza (the midriff is also underlined with organza):

The best part is that this dress matches the shoes in this post (from yonks ago). Yep, I now have TWO outfits that are Liberty-print-with-matching-shoes. Because I'm obsessive that way. (The other is a dress in the Enchanted Garden print, which J.Crew did flats in a few years back. That link is to the skirt I made in Enchanted Garden, can't find the dress link ... )

Actually, no, the best part is that I wore this dress last weekend and on my way to the restaurant, a woman came out of a (different) restaurant JUST to comment on my dress. She knew the fabric was Liberty and so assumed I'd made the dress, and she wanted to see how I did the hem (answer: machine blindstitch), which was basically the best compliment, ever. It's so nice to run into fellow Liberty-enthusiasts! 

I also have a piece of fabric in this design in the pink colorway that Liberty used for their Target collaboration, but it's heavier (almost a poplin), so I'm saving it for a shirtdress. 

Do I have another 8728 cut out? That would be telling ... 

Liberty Report: First Prize

I did promise some posts about the fabric I bought in the UK, and here's the first, about a pattern called "First Prize" that I love:

I bought some a couple of years back (probably on eBay) and made this Duro with it. I waffled a bit about buying it in the navy colorway, since I hate navy shoes, but it's a very dark navy, and besides, I recently bought some kiltie-style heels that are the exact tan of the tan in this print. So there's that settled.

That said, I have no idea what this will be. Not another Duro. Possibly a shirtdress, if I bought enough. Whatever it becomes, I think of it as an early-October dress, with a light blue cardigan and a pocket full of those terrible-wonderful peanut-butter taffy candies that you only see around Halloween, wrapped in orange and black waxed paper. 

You don't have to go all the way to Liberty to get this fabric -- it's online at Shaukat (where I bought it in-person), here.

It's Liberty Time

No, literally:

I have a pretty firm policy of only wearing watches made by watch companies, but it is Liberty, after all ... I just wish they had better prints for the bands. (Although maybe it was a brill idea by someone who is responsible for using up the patterns that don't sell?) This blue-rose version is the best, I think, but you can see the whole line here.

Thanks to Kate for the link!