The Dress That Would Not Stand Still

STOP MOVING, Ruggy commanded. SERIOUSLY YOU ARE MOVING SO MUCH YOU NEVER MOVE THIS MUCH.

OH HAI !!! HAI SEMI-FAMILIAR PEOPLE WAVING FROM YOUR CAR!

wait i don't think i actually know those people

RUGGY!! MAKE SURE YOU GET THE BACK!

DIDJA GET IT? WAS THAT GOOD? SHOULD I TURN AROUND AGAIN?

In Ruggy's defense, I was moving around an awful lot. In my defense, it took 4 months to complete this dress and I was so happy to have it on, I couldn't stop boogying. Also, there were about 3 million people out on the street when we took these shots. It was (almost) warm enough outside to traipse around just as you see me, so I guess everyone had a similar desire to pound the pre-snow laden pavement.

You wanna know something about the sewing, don't you? ALRIGHT, IF I MUST. I actually began this dress last August, when Susan of The Smuggler's Daughter and I were chatting about, of all things, race related sewing blog posts. Anyhoo, that led to a super sweet birthday offer of fabric from her shop, and I pounced on this cotton print. So lofty! So deliciously squeezy!! The only thing that prevented me from cutting into it the minute I unboxed it was Ruggy's admonishment that I had not pre-washed it yet. QUE DEMANDING, RUGGY.

I stomped to the washing machine, did my duty, and cut and draped that very day. It seemed like I could use the print to mimic a waistline seam, so I set myself the task of getting away without one. I almost accomplished only side and CB seams, but, I had somehow made her a scoche too teensy, so instead of using the rest of the fabric for great big ginormous patch pockets, I got a CB godet and an exposed metallic zipper. (And sum fisheye darts inna back, and a coupla bust darts, uh huh.)

She's cut on the crossgrain--it seemed to add to the bell effect, so I went with it. The dress goes from selvage at the neckline to selvage as the hemline. I WANTED TO WEAR IT IMMEDIATELY. And I would have, if I hadn't stalled, trying to decide on the right straps. I waffled between cloth, and straw, and braiding, and in the end I went with my first choice: this leather trim. SO MUCH WASTED TIME. SO MANY CAPITAL LETTERS.

And yet, such a calm repose you have, oona. The close ups were ever so much more tranquil.

I lie. This is a shot of me mimicking the high school boys who just teasingly called oh you loooookiiiieeee so caaay-UUUUTE to which I immediately hollered back oh THANKEEEEE yoooooUUUUU HOOOOOOO!

I will take a compliment any way you dish it out, yo.

As previously stated, this (really exquisite, there's some left, you should absolutely go get some) yardage was gifted to me by Susan of The Smuggler's Daughter. Thank you Susan, for the birthday fabric, and thanks for waiting eight years for me to make something out if it!