I'm tellin' ya, folks. Thrifted vintage bed sheets make the best apparel. Here's another.
Simplicity 2177. I wavered over buying this one, mostly because it looks like this chick is wearing hers to Easter mass:
Not really the look I wanted. But I liked the design and shape of the dress, particularly the bodice features and how the front is cut on a diagonal.
I banned floral patterns from my wardrobe for awhile, but I'm slowly starting to embrace them. I like when they're small scale and simply designed, anyway.
Pockets!
The back has a 20" lapped zipper, which only gave me a minor headache when putting in. I still have trouble making a smooth transition from the bottom of a zipper to the regular seam below it. I got this one to work for the most part.
The back neckline gaped a bit, so I added a couple darts up there to take in the fabric. I don't know if upper back darts are a real allowable thing, but I did it anyway. It still gapes open when I bring my shoulders forward in a hunch, or when I do the chicken dance/flap my arm wings -- yes, of course I tried that. Guess I can't wear this to a wedding reception, then.
I considered adding long sleeves, but thought all those flowers might be too overwhelming. During my midway fitting, the dress seemed kinda Little House on the Prairie, but that was easily remedied by slashing off a few inches off the hem and making sure the bodice was nice & fitted to the waist.
The sleeveless version of this dress calls for bias tape to finish the straps, but I just made my own from my fabric instead of buying a solid color. They stick out a little but I'm terrible at sewing narrow bias tape. And may I report: today I finally (finally!) bought a rotary cutter and ruled mat (finally!). HELLO, STRAIGHT & EVEN BIAS STRIPS OF FABRIC CUT AT PERFECT 45 DEGREE ANGLES TO THE SELVEDGE. I also bought a seam gauge (finally!) and a tracing wheel with tracing paper (finally!). Um, best day of my sewing life.
So, this dress works for summer but the colors pair well with brown so I can definitely layer it for fall. Nothin' better.
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