A Woman Obsessed

3.13.2011

Alright, I'll admit it.  I am a woman obsessed.  I can't stop sewing dresses!  Which is kind of ridiculous given that's it's still 50 degrees outside (on a warm day) and we get maybe 60 days of dress-wearing weather around here in the summer time.  Despite that, I am like a one-woman dress-making sweatshop and here's my latest creation.


I must say, I feel very 1950's housewife-ish in this dress.  I'm not sure that's really my style, but for the moment I'm going to embrace it.

The dress is made from Simplicity 2444 and for the most part it came together pretty easily.  I ended up not interfacing the stand collar and the facings because I was worried about stretching them around the neck and now the facings crumple up a bit but I think they can be beaten back into submission with a good pressing.

As for the style of the dress, I was a bit disappointed when I first put it all together.  The seam at the natural waist is not a particularly good look on me (which is probably why I avoided it with all of the other patterns that I've ever made).

Note to self: Remember to iron the front seam
before taking pictures.
Add a belt, though, and this dress looks much, much, much better (have I mentioned how much better this dress looks with a belt?).



And the highlight of the pattern for me?  Definitely the pockets.  Have I ever told you how much I love dresses with pockets?  Considering that I am never without a tube of chapstick and a tissue due to my permanently runny nose, pockets should probably come standard on all items of clothing that I own.

Wheeeee!  I heart pockets!
And a special thanks to my sewing buddy, O, who sorted and played with buttons for an amazingly long time, allowing me to work on this dress.  O, you're the best!


Fabric: Heath by Alexander Henry - gray, purchased at Esther's Fabrics
Pattern: Simplicity 2444
Size: Cut out a size 6 on top and graded to a size 8 towards the bottom of the bodice.  Cut out a size 8 on the skirt.
Alternations: Used an invisible zipper and sewed a smaller seam allowance at the shoulders to have the waist fit where my natural waist is (although the waist still hits a bit high).

*Sadly, this is not the dress that I cut a hole in.  That dress remains in a prolonged time-out.

9 comments:

  1. Carolyn! it is soo pretty! you are so talented! i am glad you are a woman obsessed! i love seeing what you are creating!

    and.... i love the kiss picture. i love kissing my kiddos! nothing better!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Embrace it! It looks amazing on you! And perfectly styled with the shoes and belt. For some reasons dresses are just so fun to sew and wear. Keep it up!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love this dress and it's no wonder you keep sewing them, they all look so cute on you! I agree with you that pockets on a dress rule.

    ReplyDelete
  4. i LOVE this one!! maybe my next dress!? :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh it is AMAZING!!! Seriously, it is such a fun, spring/summery frock that you can seriously rock. I love it with/without the belt and I think O is the perfect accessory matching your curls beautifully!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love the pockets! Such a great dress (and the gray is beautiful...).

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous18.3.11

    Great dress! Just stumbled onto your blog and I love the dress! Wish I could sew like that!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love seeing all your dresses. I love making dresses too...I just wish I had more money to spend on fabric...and I see your simplicity trend...I love simplicity patterns too.

    ReplyDelete
  9. It goes without saying that this dress is lovely (all of your projects seem to be!), but the fabric! That's particularly exciting! I've only seen this dress made up, elsewhere on the internet, in silks and sateens for a more formal look, which is lovely, but I've fallen in head-over-heels in love with your washable day dress version. :) A perfect summer frock!

    ReplyDelete

A comment? For me? You're the best!