• 1950s Polka Dot Dress •

Ever since I first saw Lily's polka dot dress, I knew I had to have one. Originally I was going to make this into a nautical themed dress, but I kind of wanted to be able to wear it with any color, not just red. I got the fabric and buttons (big ones..hehehe) at Joann, and I love it. I never even ironed it after I finished it, nor have I since then. It has a little tiny bit of stretch to it, which makes it even more comfortable. 

I used Vogue V9000, but I left off the cuffs, and narrowed the skirt down. I got 5 3/4 yards of fabric, which is a good yard more than it calls for, but since I am 6' tall, I have to lengthen everything. Normally that's not a huge problem, but with a six-gore skirt, it was. The pattern layout had you laying the skirt pieces side-to-side, using up the whole width of the fabric. Therefore, when you have to add 3 5/8" to the length of each piece, you're in trouble. I folded the pieces over until they fit on the fabric, cut them out, and hoped for the best. I couldn't be more happy with the results - it hangs beautifully!

I also made the shoulders two sizes bigger than the rest of the bodice. (I know...weird, right?) It doesn't look bigger, but it makes it comfortable for the shoulder area. This was also my first lapped zipper ever. I was scared to death, but it came out wonderful!! Now I'm armed and ready for all the side zippers in other vintage patterns!

It was a little bit windy out....

There just *happened* to be an air show in town Saturday, so I had the perfect opportunity to take pictures of my new dress! It gets pretty boring taking them in the back yard. There were all kinds of planes there; World War II planes, modern planes, and even a 1929 biplane! It was so much fun!

We had random strangers walking up to us and asking if they could take our pictures, and wondering if we had something to do with the air show. Usually we just get blank stares from most people, so it was nice to have a positive reaction for once! :-)

I got my Malco Modes 591 petticoat last week. It took some adjusting to get used to wearing such a full skirt, but now that I'm used to it, it feels fine. Since it is made of a fairly crisp material, it had quite a few wrinkles in it from being shipped, so I put it in a sink full of warm water with a tiny bit of fabric softener, then hung it out in the sun to dry. It came out perfect, and I love it!

I also got new shoes (and sunglasses) from Modcloth. I couldn't be happier with them. It's always risky ordering shoes online, but they fit perfectly, and are so cute!

Next up is my regency spencer jacket, and then a Butterick 5920 dress out of a 1950s reproduction print.

Shoes, sunglasses, Modcloth.

Petticoat, Resashay.

Photography by my mom.

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