I can not believe how quickly this summer is flying by! I've been desperately attempting to declutter each and every room and closet in our house, while simultaneously mediating umpteen squabbles between siblings...it really seems to be the summer of bickering. It's not been all quarreling and chores though...there's been plenty of fun too, camping, fireworks, NYC, baseball games, icebergs and more...
But, with all of the above...there's been little time for sewing. Not that my list isn't miles long. I mean, there are so many fun summery items for me, the kids, and my husband that I'd love to sew up...but there's only so much time and honestly, by the end of the day between early morning runs, errands, kid fun and such, I am too tired to sew at nighttime.
I did, however, finally manage to squeeze in making a groove dress for myself earlier this week while the rest of the family watched a bit of the home run derby on tv. I've been wanting to make myself (and Violet too, but she's later...) a groove dress from made it patterns for months now! I had initial plans...and then, as it turned out, I didn't have enough fabric. I love this dress, but it's volume also means that it uses up a lot of fabric! With my great immediate "need" in mind we headed for a quick trip to Joann, where I found only really one viable option to get the feel and fit that I was looking for, pink and black stripes, not exactly my first choice...but good enough...
I used the teen pattern size medium with an added 1 1/2" to the length, which I think worked perfectly for my height of 5'2", I think maybe the adult version might way too long for me. I also omitted the sleeves opting instead for a sleeveless version, which I love!
To make the sleeveless version I used the neck binding pattern and cut a piece that was 15" long for the arm binding. I used same method as instructed for the neck binding for the arms. This was the first time I'd used the "neat method" of binding and I love the way it turned out!
I must admit that, when I tried this dress on after it was completed, I squealed a little with delight! It's the perfect summer dress, cool and flowy and oh so amazing!
I wore it out to our trip to the National Building Museum's Icebergs exhibit yesterday where I totally did a twirl amidst a bunch of people...
Violet told me to "stop, that's a good picture!"...
And then I did a little "grooving"...
and then a stroll through the National Gallery's Sculpture gardens...
Thank you to Violet who graciously offered to take some pictures of me!
It was a fun day and the perfect dress for it all!
