Fabric Store Finds

I posted a request for dress pattern suggestions on my Facebook page.

Julie suggested Colette Patterns, which has some super-cute designs. However, the strapless dress pattern doesn't align well with my goal to dance uninhibitedly. (I'm just insecure like that.) The other pattern I really like--Chantilly--would probably over-emphasize my breasts.

I searched around for some free dress patterns but couldn't find anything remotely interesting. I then decided to trek to the fabric store.

Searching through books of god-awful patterns was slightly depressing. Even when I tried to ignore the dreadful fabrics and just focus on the cut of the dress, I still didn't have much luck. However, I did find some cute vintage dresses that I would like to attempt when my sewing skills have improved.

I finally settled (yes, "settled") on an "easy" dress pattern from McCall's. It's slightly daunting to think about investing a lot of time and energy into a dress that may or may not look very good on my body. Oh well. It's an adventure. I'm going to make Dress A.

I had trouble picking out the fabric (I'm indecisive like that.) but finally settled on a moda fabric from Chloe's Closet. It kind of hurts my eyes, but I'm starting to love it. When I showed it to Matt, he said, "Hey, it kind of looks like the inside of the security envelopes you've been collecting."

Hilarious!

If I like the way it turns out, I might think about applying some applique to spice it up a bit.

Here's the breakdown of the cost:

• Pattern = $7.98
• Thread = $5.39
• Fabric = $24.72
• Elastic = $0.39
• Interfacing = $2.18

TOTAL = $44.01

The fabric is in the washing machine right now. I can't wait to start!