Straight Forward Dresses

There is something nostalgic about the simplicity of the next dress design. It's probably similar to something I wore as a little girl. The tie around the waist allows for a comfortable fit with a playful and flattering appearance. This is a great standard to start with and an exciting jumping off point for possible variations. Here are the first few I have made and can see myself making many more of!

Second Hand fabrics. Size Medium.

The fabric of this first dress has a vintage print of a jockey jumping fences... on a horse of course. I liked playing around with the neckline after sewing on the handkerchief. It sort of just falls into positions that feel comfortable. My boyfriend actually came up with this option by twisting and tucking it in the back, and then I figured out how to sew it in place that way. Never hurts to have a helper.

First and Second hand Fabric. Size Small.

 I love the print on this fabric. It's a beautiful palette that reminds me of the Renaissance for some reason. Maybe it's the blushy pinks and yellowy flesh tones mixed with shades of gold. It also reminds me of plants dying in the fall. Mustard yellow and faded reds make some plants more lovely than when they were living. As you can tell by this point I'm  little obsessed with these shades together.  Shades of pink and yellow seem inappropriate or not that exciting together when you think of it, but when it appears in nature, it works so very well and is quite surprising.

The tie is made of raw silk. A really lovely and bright shade of orange that works well with the other shades in the dress.

First and Second hand Fabrics. Size Large/ X-Large

 I have a lot of this navy cotton fabric, as you may be able to tell by now since there are a couple of pieces made from it. Previously, I felt navy was a highly overrated colour and acted as a fall back for people who didn't know how to work other colours, or people who own boats. I was so very wrong. Of course, it appears all too often along side white stripes, but it's such a classy colour and coordinates so well with other colours, that I've had to rethink it entirely. I now love it.

The neckline is a vintage silk handkerchief in a creamy shade of beige. I left it free flowing because I couldn't decide how I liked it best and felt I could leave that up to the future owner. In the first picture above, it is tied underneath the left strap. Tying over top, revealing the little knot, is sweet as well. On the left, I kept it long and then tucked it into the waist band.







I call this style The Elephant. Take the sides of the kerchief and pin them together underneath with a safety pin.

This looks very grown up to me, maybe because it's reminiscent of large lapels. If that is what you're going for I would choose a brooch a little classier than the brontosaurus one I've used. I realized when doing this that all my brooches (all 2 of them) are really old and not so sharp, so Bronty it was!







That is all for recent creations. I've been busy with a lot of custom work lately, mostly curtains and clothing repairs, but I hope to go back and forth between those and making more clothing. Stay tuned for a post on custom work though, I've had quite a variety lately!