I’m not a very tidy person when I sew. I’m not exactly a slob either, and I don’t really intend to make a mess, it’s more that I get focused on the project at hand rather than putting everything back as I go along. (Please tell me you do the same otherwise I’m not sure we can be friends.)
So last Thursday when my sewing space hit critical mass on the crap-o-meter, it was time to straighten up (and by straighten up I mean open a drawer to find forgotten fabric that just needed to be made into a dress).
Now.
I bought the purple flowered fabric years ago at a quilt show, apparently intoxicated by its sweet little ditsy print (almost Liberty of London-ish but that was before I even knew about Liberty of London so I can’t claim that). I guess I thought I’d make it into a skirt, based on the amount I found in the drawer.
But styles change and interests change and circumstances of life change and I really had no desire or need for a purple print skirt anymore.
But a t-shirt top dress with a purple print attached skirt? I’m in.
And an exposed zipper? Hell yes.
(Never mind I had no idea how I was going to do this, no pattern, and I’d never put in an exposed zipper before. Minor details, right? That’s what the internet is for.)
A quick trip to JoAnn’s and I had myself the right kind of zipper. Apparently there’s a whole selection of exposed zipper options, who knew? (not me)
And after an evening of marking and cutting and folding and pinning and refolding and repinning (and refolding and repinning again) and finally sewing on Friday night and some hemming by hand on Saturday, my dress was made.
And it came out cute, don’t you think?
And check out that exposed zipper!
The exposed zipper is my favorite part for sure. Originally I planned to go simple and sweet - just sew some gathers into the purple flowered fabric (which is a rayon-polyester-something or other, i.e. it has no stretch to it at all <this is key information>) and attach it to the bottom of the t-shirt.
Then at some point the lightbulb went off in my head (thankfully before I attached the pleated fabric to the t-shirt because it all too easily could have gone the other way). Oh yes, there’s that pesky reality that I have an ample bosom and even ampler hips and there was no way I was going to wiggle myself into a dress with no stretch around the waist. Doh!
Thus the installation of the exposed zipper was born. Simple, so simple!
And cute, and dare I say, fashion forward. (amIright?)
I wore it on Easter as is because it was a warmish day. Today it’s a bit cool and breezy so I paired it with grey leggings and a cardigan.
How much of a blogger picture is this?!? I think it’s the first selfie I’ve taken of an outfit in the mirror (and that’s probably a good thing). I know those pictures are kind of ubiquitous, but I guess not for me. It took me about 18 shots to get it right (total amateur here). Then I got one that worked and when I looked closely there were these glowing blobby-splotchy-things all over my leggings. What the hell?
On further inspection it wasn’t my leggings at all, it was smudges all over my mirror. But at knee/hip height?
Kids and dogs, y’all, they’ll get you every time.
And even after cleaning the mirror, the picture’s not even that great. It’s a little blurry and oddly composed and I had to crop out the second reflection of me in the other bedroom mirror you can’t see because two reflections of me in a ubiquitous blogger selfie pose would just be too much. (you’re welcome)
But dressing like a blogger, exposed zipper and all? You bet I'm in!