DIY: A Dress and Necklace That'll Leave you in Stitches

Well, would ya lookie who detached herself from declutterin' for a solid two hours this mornin' and finished up a dress that was started, um, let's just say a while ago (meaning: I can't even recall when I began this thang!). I'm as happy as can be in this colorful number cuz I just love these two prints together. I so wish I could recall where I scooped 'em up as I snipped off the salvaged edge and threw it away ages ago. I know I've spied the sewing machine fab on fabric.com so if you're dying to get your kitten mittens on some, that'd be the place to start. 

But, for now, back to the dress! Complete with piddlin' pockets! (or, as I once heard Michael Kors refer to 'em on PR: Pleasure Me Pockets. Y'all. That placement. WHHHHHHHY?! And yet, I stitch 'em in every.single.time.)

This dress pattern and I, we go way back. I think I've made, I dunno, about a dozen variations of this dress! For zample, check here, here, here and some other rando places. I'd list 'em all but I'm lazy. So there.

This dress was also the topic of a great debate ole instagram when I popped it up. I was going back and forth with the idea of a sleeve. Just about every dress I've made is sleeveless and I'm starting to feel like that's a copout. So I thought this one could Be.That.Change. But then everyone was all eeeeeewwww, the sleeves are terrible, they're burning my retinas! (not for realz but there was most def no love for those sleeves, y'all). So I opted to go with el cap-sleeve-o. 

And I totes dig it. Here's a lil belt-less view of the front and the back. That sweet scoop in the back is one of my faves. Even if my long-a##, in-need-of-a-hairs-cut 'do usually covers it up.

A close up. But the real reason I'm sharing this photo is to say: DOESN'T MY HEAD LOOK EXTRAORDINARILY LONG? I look like some sort of freak-show real-life Modigliani! 

Why the loooooooooooooong face, brah?

 Of course no sewing machine dress is complete without a necklace of spools, right?! I've had this small vintage collection of wooden spools in my stash for a while. I glued the loose string in place, painted some wooden beads and strung 'em together on a strand of elastic. It slides right over my big ole Modigliani head like a candy necklace. 

 Cuz it's perfectly reasonable for a lady of my advanced age to be seen out and about in a necklace o' spools, right?! 

Y'all, it felt so good to wrap up the dress and be back in the sewing saddle again. Next up, that sweet thing beside me. What have you been up to this summer?!