A Little Out Of Kilter

At first glance...you thought...oooh... pretty dress. Am I right? However, those of you with a well trained eye for pattern placement and balance, added a little ...buuuuut.... to that. yeah so did I. I love this fabric and was so excited to have it and bought it without really giving much thought to its scale. This is a large scale print that I should have bought more of.  Lesson learned? The larger the print the larger the yardage to play with the pattern layout. In any case, this dress gets many compliments and I have worn it quite a few times already. It's passable as a wearable muslin...

The back just looks weird to me....oh well.

I used two patterns to make this dress. Simplicity 2444 for the bodice. This bodice is a perfect fit for me every time. For the skirt I chose Simplicity 2403 because of the great pockets it has. The two patterns were easy to marry. I lined the bodice with a polyester from my stash that was a perfect match. 

As I look at these pictures, I realize that I didn't wear it styled this way. I actually wore a cute cardigan and skinny belt with it. I wish I had gotten pictures of it styled that way because I think that the belt and cardigan made it look better. The belt broke up the pattern and the mint cardigan in it's solid color allowed the bottom of the dress to stand out as a skirt. It really was much better. I guess you will have to trust me on that...

Overall this dress is a win for me. The fit really works with the mash up of two patterns and well the pockets are scoring bonus points!

Summer Uniform

I want to wear this dress everyday. Like... Every. Day. I think I wore it three days this week and it's only Wednesday.... true story.

After searching long and hard for this dress... I had no luck finding it so I decided to remake it. Of course I couldn't make an exact replica because I didn't have any of that beautiful green fabric left in my stash. I did however have some of this coral and white geometric print that I love. Hooray for the stash again!!  

I tend to think that a bold geometric print like this one needs a pattern that has fewer pieces to allow the print to shine. I like this Burda pattern for that reason. It has minimal design elements yet comes across as quite expensive looking. Chic and simple. Sometimes we think that the more "bells and whistles" a garment has the better, when really, all that fuss and fluff can leave it looking cheap. Especially if the fabric is cheap to start with.... So I say, if the fabric is cheap (as is the case here)...at least make sure that the design isn't.

My review:

Pattern: Burda 7378

Fabric Used: A geometric polyester print that wears like a dream and washes well too.

Instructions:  This dress is quite simple to make. I did change the construction process a bit by attaching the facings and shoulders, then pulling them through before sewing the side seams. You can read more about this process to give a neater finish to a sleeveless garment here. 

Changes I made: I didn't make any design changes to this one. Love it as is!

These days I am living in my dresses...they are so easy to wear. What is your go to uniform during the summer months?

Wedding Wear

  With wedding season in full swing right now, I thought about this dress that has been stashed in the back of my closet. I made it to wear to a wedding many years ago and long before I ever even thought of blogging or even knew what a blog was. 

I made this dress from a Sewstylish Simplicity 3867 pattern. With its empire cut and tie at the high waist, it is a flattering dress. I also love the pleated skirt and tend to choose pleats over gathers every time. As I look at this dress and pattern again, I'm thinking that the top would look rather cute made in a soft lawn. I think that it would be awesome in a maxi length as well.

My review:

Pattern: Simplicity 3867

Fabric Used: A poly charmeuse in ivory with taupe polka dots that I remember getting at a very great price. Like $1.99 a meter! 

Instructions: I followed the pattern instructions without any difficulty. I do remember rereading the section on attaching the waistband/tie a couple of times but it came together nicely.

Changes I made: I didn't make any changes to this pattern which is so unlike me. I liked it so much that I made another in a navy polka dot but I no longer have that version. 

Aren't these polka dots great!? Little circles rather that traditionally solid dots. I think I may have mentioned before that while I love polka dots, I prefer them to be a little irregular in some way to prevent them from becoming too cutesy.