Tag: summer dress

Tip of the hat to the Rio Olympics

Published on by car2ole1 Comment

 

DSCN1838This gorgeous new fabric by Rifle Paper Company for Cotton and Steel caught my eye right away.  This is lawn ( a superfine cotton weave) in a soft periwinkle color with gold, called City Toile Lawn.

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I really can’t take a selfie to save my soul.  Hello, boobies!

The most memorable landmark from Rio, the Christ the Redeemer statue, is on here, along with other landmarks like the pyramids, the Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House, and Big Ben.

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No I did not get a tattoo.  I somehow managed to get the most spectacular bruise, a perfectly shaped circle on my upper arm.  No idea where it came from, and you can see it is going into it’s yellow-green phase.

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The designated photographer did a better job on this photo shoot, so his job is safe FOR NOW.  Next time maybe we will even attempt some back views.  My modeling skills are still, and always will be, stuck in my Big Fig phase.

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The pattern is a Butterick Retro ’47, B5209.  It has a halter style option also, but I like my shoulders covered.  Life is easier when you don’t need a special bra for your dress.  I had to do a FBA so the top fit correctly.

I ordered the fabric from Hawthorne Threads, one of my favorite online vendors.  This lawn is a dream to sew and is the perfect choice for a good looking dress in this hot climate!

I dyed my hair pink, and now my new dress clashes!

Published on by car2ole3 Comments

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I felt like whipping up a new dress this weekend.  I have been wanting to make the Alder Shirtdress by Grainline Studio.   I pulled out some voile from the Robert Kaufman fabric line named London Calling.

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The pattern is great.  The fabric is great.  My dress turned out great.  Then I had my hair dyed pink.  Although the dress has pink in it, it reads as orange when you see it in person or in pictures.  I wanted to get some pictures of the dress to show on my blog, and I dislike every photo taken.  It just flat out clashes with my new hair color!

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I used pearl snaps instead of buttons.  I love snaps – so easy to apply and they make it fun to undress at the end of the day.

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I made my usual armhole gap fix on this dress.  I have slim arms and a narrow chest, with larger boobs.  To fit around the boobage, I usually end up with gappy armholes on sleeveless garments.  I fix this by essentially making a casing in the armhole binding about 3 to 4″ each side of the side seam, and inserting a shorter piece of 1/4″ elastic to draw up the excess.  Works great for me.

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I usually wear my hair blonde, so the color of the dress is a short lived problem.  In reality, though, this is not a shape that is flattering on my body.  I am too curvy for a an a-line shirtdress.  The Alder Shirtdress is an amazing pattern, but I am heading back to a more tried and true shape for me.  Stay tuned for my next dress…