Summer Sewing Project

Since summer is waning, I thought I had better post this sewing project from May before it was totally seasonally inappropriate.  I was seriously yearning for the Ivy City Co. Sweet Rosie dress that I missed out on, so I went on a search for some similar fabric so I could make my own.

I found this nearly identical print on Etsy, decided to use Vogue Misses 1957 sz 6-14 sewing pattern #v8789 and set to work in such a flurry that I forgot to line the pattern for the bodice up properly and didn't realize my critical error until the dress was all done.  Yes, because of this darling print and my foolish haste, the bodice print was badly misaligned on the front.  Very badly.

In the normal scheme of things I would have gone back, cut out another bodice, and started over, but I was out of fabric and buying more would have meant spending as much as the original dress cost.  After much deliberation, I decided to create a little ruffle from the remaining scraps of fabric that I had and attach it down the center to distract the eye from the misalignment.

It worked surprisingly well and as much as I was kicking myself for making such an amateur mistake, I felt pretty proud of myself for problem-solving it like a pro.  After all these years, my self-taught sewing skills still are very much lacking, but I have made some progress and that ain't nothin'. 

As luck would have it, a Sweet Rosie popped up on a resale site for a song, less than I paid for the fabric even, so I went ahead and bought it.  However, I will be keeping and wearing this dress once spring rolls around again because ultimately, as much as I was thirsting for the Rosie, this dress is actually more flattering on my shape and I think I like the bigger print a little more than the tiny Rosie print.

I held off on posting these for so long because the photos did not turn out well.  (I guess my photography skills could use a little work too) The sun was so impossibly bright that after loads of editing, the colors still look odd.  I hoped to get out at a later time and take them again, but I never managed to work it in.  I decided that much like the dress itself, I'm just full of flaws and sometimes it's OK to just accept them, share them, and move on.