Ruffles and Lace and Bows, oh my!

This is how the thought process for this dress went:

Oh hey, I totally have enough of these fabrics for the sew along!

I think I'll add lace down the pleat.

Ooooo! Flutter sleeves!

I should totally make my own bias tape for the sleeves.

OOOO!!!!!! Ruffles! That's what this dress is missing!

Might as well toss a bow on their to finish it. Wait, is this too much?

The answer is no.

The end result: um, I love it. No it is not too much, it's just right. And I feel like Elphine Starkadder. And we all know how much I like that. Though I suppose this is a bit more Elphine post makeover, a tad less ridiculous, a hint more sophisticated, but equally as floaty. Yes my dears, I am quite taken with this little number.



The changes I made were not difficult at all. Putting in the lace was easy-peasy and I definitely want to do this again on another top. I "drafted" a flutter sleeve (one straight side, one curved side), trimmed it in the bias tape, and just stitched it on. I think if I do this again I'll make them longer. I'm not usually a fan of myself in flutter sleeves, but these I quite like! The ruffle is just a strip of fabric that is gathered and stitched to the collar. The bow is just a piece of the extra bias tape. If I'd had mint coloured buttons they'd have been added too, but I did not. Clearly I was in frills overdrive. I do not care. I feel like it has a bit of a 30's flare, despite the full skirt. I am not upset by this. Not one bit.

Ignore the fact that Grace jumped in the pool right before this and splashed me. That'll teach me to take pictures by the pool...

The skirt fabric I've had for nearly two years. We went to Solvang to celebrate my 22nd birthday and my mom found a warehouse (it was huge!) that sold all their fabric for 99 cents a yard! There's 2 yards here so the total was $1.98. The gauze I used for the bodice is from Joanns and was $1 a yard. I only used about a yard of it. $2.98 for a dress, I'll take that!

I made my own bias tape for the first time, and I gotta say, I am really trying to remember why I was so afraid of making my own! It's so simple! and I think it totally ties this whole dress together. I wish I'd had enough fabric to make a belt out of the polka dot print, but alas! I'm going to try and find a solid green in this same shade of mint and make one out of that.

I really like the two-tone effect for the Sorbetto Dress. I've half a mind to make this up in a blue plaid and solid pink I have. I can't decide if I'd rather just have the pink blouse- I am in desperate need of coloured blouses, all of mine are white, or turn it into a top. Hpmmmmm....