Polka Dot Dress

This is another dress I sewed over the summer. I thought the Maryy pattern from Burda would be a fun easy pattern for a summer dress. And it was for the most part. The pattern was fairly easy to follow, I tend not to use the instructions and this was great with minimal pattern pieces.

The fabric was another I found at Walmart. I’m glad to see the Walmarts are slowly adding back there fabric sections, but I seem to remember the fabric being slightly cheaper. If I had known that I would be paying $6 a yard for this, I would have headed to Jo Anns. 

This is a cotton and it would have been better if it was a tinch lighter. I found it was more flattering to belt this dress, which is fine by me. Always being cold generally means I’m wearing a cardigan anyway. I just so happened to have one from Old Navy that matches fairly well.

I had to add some fabric to the bust. Apparently I suck at measuring things and when I first tired on the top portion of this even adding the zipper wasn’t going to help me any. That was an easy alteration and I’ll remember to remeasure the next time I make this and make the part that covers my chest larger as well! 

The problems are easily fixed by wearing a camisole underneath the dress, which works out perfectly! I also altered this to work as a halter. This was me not following directions and wining it. I think at that point I had lost track of the instructions because they were buried under something.

I’ll definitely make another dress with this pattern. It’s such an easy pattern and I’m very fond of the dress, even if the fabric is a bit heavier than I would like it to be.

Made in the US of A

So Happy Fourth of July all. Today I present to you something I'm actually wearing today! I hear that gasp of surprise. Me, actually posting another picture of an article of clothing I made? Yes sirree, here's a dress I made based on Simplicity 2884. I originally made the dress with fabric remnants, but this started out with a lovely liliac skirt part and the light blue bodice which we see here. My mother pointed out the colors didn't go together. With that comment I set the dress aside for months and months and months.

Back in May I happened to be looking through the scraps of fabric again (or should I say as ususal) and stumbled upon some light blue fabric that I though would look great with the halter dress I had started to make back in, oh December. What I was doing making a halter dress back when it was snowing is another issue in and of itself. It just so happened that the fabrics matched perfectly and the remnant I bought was the right length for a skirt!

I swear the skirt's not crocked, it just looks funky because of me rushing in front of my camera... At least that's the story I'm sticking with, I could also blame it on my awkward posture, but we'll put part of the blame on the camera. I have to go into work yet again hence the cardigan.

I did have some troubles with the zipper and bodice. I'm not sure who Simplicity thinks will fit into their dress, the measurements fit my waist, but not my boobs. I took a lot of time attempting to fix the fit on top, which meant taking the zipper out and putting it back in about 5 or 6 times. I hate zippers... So the side looks like this:

Overall, a little rumply from the sides and the back, but it's wearable, especially with the cardigan over it. The next time I make this (and there will be a next time pattern, watch out) I'll spend some decent time measuring my chest and making adjustments to the pattern. I'm not sure who has such a tiny waist and such big boobs, but it's definitely not me.

And from this last picture it does look like I need to take some of the length off part of the midriff. Hm... Do I really want to take out the zipper again?