Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Making Time for Fancy Dresses


It's the final week of Project Run & Play and I managed to sew along.  Hooray!  Huge achievement at the moment.  The theme is Signature Style, the most conflicting theme for me (and maybe others?).  I don't really want an exact signature style.  That might be really boring if I make the same things over and over again.  One thing that stays consistent in my style though is my love for mixing fun prints with lots of color.

It took forever for me to decide what to make.  Then one day I was looking through patterns at Craftsy for the first time and saw it.  The Esmee Cottage Dress by Amelie & Henri.  


I was swooning over the split bodice with the pleated ruffle.  It reminded me of my favorite feature on my wedding dress.  I was also drawn to the lining trimmed with lace peaking out from the pleated skirt. I love dresses like this, but they take too darn long to sew.  I like quick and easy for the most part.  But this pattern had me determined to make time for a fancy dress!


I had fun mixing prints with this dress.  The fabrics are all from JoAnn Fabrics.  The beautiful floral is a sateen that I ran out and purchased after seeing Sarah use it to make fabulous host pants.  The print reminds me of the beautiful garden paintings by Monet (my favorite artist).  The front of the dress is pleated all one direction like the pattern.  However in the back I sewed the pleats running towards the center V back.


Since the dress is fully lined, it's just as pretty on the inside as the out.


I used the lining fabric so that the vibrant pink damask was showing with the wrong side out, so it was more subtle to allow the wonderful floral to be the star.  I had the lace trim in my stash and I thought I would never find a reason to use it.  I need to do something like this again with my other trims!


I used the same lining fabric for the hidden side pockets, though with the right side showing.


A few things on the dress pattern - it's rated for a beginner and isn't too difficult, but I had a hard time understanding the directions a few times.  If I was an absolute beginner there may have been a bit more seam ripping involved in the construction.  Also, I didn't see a size chart to help me pick which size to cut out.  I made a 3T and the bodice fits great, but the length of the skirt turned out way longer than it was supposed to.  But my girls are low on the height chart for their age.  The printing, piecing, and cutting of the fabric went really well though!  Also, I have seen some previews of their 2014 patterns and can not wait for their release!

And with my signature look, that wraps up my sewing along to this season of Project Run & Play.  It's been fun following along with the other sew along looks and competitors.  Everyone has brought their A-game for sure.  Make sure to vote!  It's been a tight race for once.



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18 comments:

  1. ooh! That makes me wish spring was here right now!! Love the fabrics you chose! That dress is so fun. I need to make it for my girls!

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  2. Oh I love this! I love the colors and the design. You did a great job!

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  3. This is gorgeous! I love the colors!

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    1. Thank you! some of my favorite colors! the floral reminds me of a pretty watercolor painting.

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  4. So good. I thought I recognized that sateen. I love it. And the split bodice is really neat. It's giving me all sorts of ideas. :)

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  5. Wow Renee...this dress is awesome! I love it!

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    1. Thanks Anne, now we just need a party to wear it to (her words, not mine)!

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  6. Daring dress with details! Love your color selection, you sure know how to mix colors and patterns! What a perfect dress for spring!

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  7. This is gorgeous! The skirt is amazing, I just adore those bright colors!

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  8. I would say your style could be called bold, or something along those lines. This dress is certainly bold and so fun. I love that floral print to pieces and can see what you mean about the length. Beautiful link up!

    Mae
    The Life Of A Compulsive Crafter

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  9. I love this dress so much! Would it be okay if I used your fourth pic (the one showing the bow on the back) for a Sunday Funday feature? I'd properly attribute it and ask that people pin the pic from your site.

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  10. So so cute...love the colors and the fabric combinations

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  11. Awesome fabric combinations (sometimes my biggest struggle!) Congrats on the win with Project Run & Play! Keep up the good work.

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  12. Gorgeous gorgeous dress! Amazing choice of fabrics. Great job! I love everything you do!

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  13. The dress is GORGEOUS. I love pleats. I love anything pleated. :) Love your choice of fabrics too. Just beautiful!

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  14. So beautiful! I love the combination of colors! Great job and congrats!

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  15. Very cute! Mixing fabrics is one of my favorite things to do as well. :)

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  16. This is a gorgeous dress! I love your fabric choices!

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