A Dress A Day

Return (Slightly Elevated, Not Yet Triumphal) of the Shirtdress

I think I've posted about this before, but I can't find it: Simplicity 6894.

Anyway, I made it. Here it is:

 

I chose such a busy print because 1) I hadn't done tucks before and figured that if they were uneven, uneven on a bed of slightly abstract ochre roses was the way to go, and 2) I have had this fabric SO LONG that it has been giving me reproachful looks. Especially as new yardage has continued to come in ... it was well past the eye-rolling stage, and into heavy sighs and significant eyebrow-raising. So. Now it's ready for its close-up:

 

You can see a little of the red thread I used to thread-mark the buttonholes. The buttons are vintage, I have no idea where I got them, either. This is not their first rodeo -- they had little bits of cloth and thread on them that I had to remove. Looks like I cut them off whatever they had been on before. (Or maybe I bought them that way? My buttons are not what you would call "organized.")

The fabric is very lightweight, just a couple steps up from voile, so I did a very deep blindstitch hem. [PHOTO NOT AVAILABLE] 

Oh! I added pockets, slash hip pockets: 

And in lieu of my usual "here's the side zipper" picture (which is nearly invisible in this print, anyway, but you can see it here if you are so inclined) I present to you instead the "here's the set-in sleeve cap." Not my finest work, but not the worst I've ever done, either:

 

(My set-in-sleeve-setting life changed when I finally started taking the time to sew from the top center of the shoulder down to the underarm seam on each side, instead of trying to sew the whole thing in one go from underarm seam to underarm seam.)

Verdict: A+, would sew again. This is not so hard to make (after I figured out the tucks, which look FAR more complicated than they actually are) and it's fun to wear. I felt like a 1960s schoolteacher all day, which is better than it sounds. It did end up being slightly too big (it's fine through the bodice, but I added too much ease for the pockets). I will go easier on the wearing ease next time. 

I have another shirtdress coming ... one I'm very pleased with, and another one cut out. Oh, and a semi-traumatic encounter with Simplicity 2180, but I think we managed to hug it out. Stay tuned!

Idée fixe

My latest idée fixe is to make a shirtdress out of this new Joel Dewberry fabric (Woodgrain in Vintage Yellow). (Faux bois idée fixe is probably the longest French phrase I can manage.)

I don't know why -- as with most of my dress-related brainstorms, it falls under the category of "it seemed like a good idea at the time". 

Not sure WHICH shirtdress pattern this will be matched up with -- I dragged out several contenders the other night, of which Butterick 2237:

and Advance 8524:

are currently in the lead. 

Wooden buttons, naturally! Maybe even little twig ones ... 

I'm So Glad That You're Mine (Almost)

Thanks to Janet at ZimmersArmy, this pattern is now mine. Or close to mine, as soon as the USPS delivers it into my waiting arms. I believe the only appropriate reaction is "oh boy!"

There are pockets, people. And look at that yoke. And I'm going to make it in just that buttercup yellow with a teal suede belt and teal shoes (.... um, someday).

I love a dress that has a narrow front and gathers in the center back of the skirt. It always feels like a train to wear -- you just sweep into rooms (if you're so inclined).

Check out the looks that these two are exchanging. What happens next? My guess is: what always happens next when two people spend a little too long looking at each other.

The Obsession Returns

My shirtdress obsession, naturally. Check this one out, from Tina at What-I-Found Patterns:

Check out what a nice big size it is, and the lovely center pleat on the skirt ... and the collar!

And don't forget -- the first Secret Lives signing is tomorrow! I might be wearing a shirtdress. You'll have to show up to find out!