Project: 1950s Novelty Print Book Dress
Pattern: Simplicity 5124, bought here
Stash Buster? yes, this fabric has been waiting for some love for a while!
Items From Stash: actual 1950s novelty print dress fabric *swoon*, vintage belt buckle
Date Started: March 2012
Date Finished: June 2012
New Techniques Used: none
Wear Again? yes please and as soon as possible!
Thank you all so much for your lovely comments on my sneak peak of this dress, I think it's safe to say that you like it just as much as I do! But here she is in all her detailed glory for your viewing pleasure :)
This is my first time using a vintage shirt-waist dress pattern and I must admit that I was nervous at first. As I started cutting out the pieces I was worried that the finished dress would end up quite frumpy, after all it doesn't actually show much flesh, but it turns out that I couldn't have been more wrong! This dress is the perfect example of how a well made, figure hugging yet modest dress can feel super sexy - I definitely do when I'm wearing it! I feel like I'm channelling my inner Joan, so of course I couldn't be happier :)
I did very few alterations to this dress, apart from adding a couple of inches to the hips (for my ample posterior!) and taking a few inches from the length I left it just as it was, and it fits me like a glove. I'm particularly in love with the pleat details on the back and the little matching fabric belt I made with a vintage buckle that was a gift from a wonderful friend (thank you Harriet!).
I think you can safely say that I am a complete shirt dress convert and I definitely foresee lots more of these in my sewing future. They're a little bit more fiddly than your average dress, but my goodness they're gorgeous when they're done! And they're great for prancing around and posing in...
... which I think you can see I did!
Bye for now lovely readers!
Katie xxx
