At first glance…you thought…oooh… pretty dress. Am I right? However, those of you with a well trained eye for pattern placement and balance, added a little …buuuuut…. to that. yeah so did I. I love this fabric and was so excited to have it and bought it without really giving much thought to its scale. This is a large scale print that I should have bought more of. Lesson learned? The larger the print the larger the yardage to play with the pattern layout. In any case, this dress gets many compliments and I have worn it quite a few times already. It’s passable as a wearable muslin…
The back just looks weird to me….oh well.
I used two patterns to make this dress. Simplicity 2444 for the bodice. This bodice is a perfect fit for me every time. For the skirt I chose Simplicity 2403 because of the great pockets it has. The two patterns were easy to marry. I lined the bodice with a polyester from my stash that was a perfect match.
As I look at these pictures, I realize that I didn’t wear it styled this way. I actually wore a cute cardigan and skinny belt with it. I wish I had gotten pictures of it styled that way because I think that the belt and cardigan made it look better. The belt broke up the pattern and the mint cardigan in it’s solid color allowed the bottom of the dress to stand out as a skirt. It really was much better. I guess you will have to trust me on that…
Overall this dress is a win for me. The fit really works with the mash up of two patterns and well the pockets are scoring bonus points!
Lady, you look lovely! Those red heels are perfection with the dress! 🙂
Thanks Gilllian! These are one of my favorite pairs of heels and Husband picked them out for me. Boy, was I surprised!
Love the large print on this! Looks great with the red shoes!
….yep, I see it, but in complete honesty…it wasn't until the second photo when I noticed. It IS a gorgeous print, love the large scale and the colours are perfection! I can well imagine it would have a taken A LOT of fabric in order to really showcase the print in it's glory! I can totally visual it with a cardie and a belt. Really, it's very pretty! You're very pretty! And it's all good! Love those slash pockets!
Haha! I tricked you with that first photo…the light is kinda blocking out that big red flower! I love your honesty Sue..it's really not quite right and I know it. I will still throw it on from time to time and those slash pockets are one of the best parts of this dress.
Thanks Shanni!
That's such pretty fabric and I love the way you've married the two patterns.
I want your wearable muslins! This is adorable and the pattern placement is fine. If you had ordered enough you would have very, very large scraps so things worked out well.
I can totally see you wearing this this fall with a cardi and belt, that will be adorable!
I'm in two minds how much it matters….if you look at RTW clothing, the pattern placements are all over the place! I've found though that as I sew, I know I can get it right (sometimes meaning several attempts) and I look for more perfection than if I bought something! I like the dress as is, anyway, but a belt would look really good too – I can imagine it 🙂
I think this dress is adorable !! Nobody noticed the print "interrupted" if you do not say it, I think you look elegant and fantastic! I "snooped" a bit on your other posts and I'm really in love with your style. So inspiring.
Thanks Sam!
You are so right! The scraps would have been huge! Thanks Becki!
ThankIs Philippa! Yes, in RTW the print placement is all over the place, I agree. I guess because I am making it and blogging about it, I want better. I will still wear this one though!
Aww thanks Rosy! It's not snooping when you are invited to come and have a look! hehe
Ahh larger scale prints, they can be a bit of a pain sometimes. I didn't really notice anything until you mentioned it because the colors and print are so nice. I'm sure that it's hardly noticeable with the cardigan and belt. Wear that out some more.
I was trying to woo you with the pretty colors so you wouldn't notice my blunder with this one! In the store, I was all like.."look at the pretty color and the flowers…oooh so nice! come home with me " Not once did I think about how BIG those dang flowers were….okay maybe I did, but it was in a dazed fabric store stupor…. I tend to leave my sewing brain outside the store.
Hi Margo, I looked at the fabric and thought, I have seen it before but where. And then it struck me, this fabric became my living room curtains many years ago! So of course I love your dress and you look beautiful in it. Kind regards from Germany, Anke
This really is a win. Large prints do that their challenges and that's what makes this dress impressive to me.