...and Summer is Back!

Even though I was wearing my coat again last Saturday, it was in the 80s today ...but since I finished this nice, cool summer dress just in time, I didn't mind one bit! Again, the pictures are not good; my sister is in Florida for the week (lucky!), so I convinced my husband to take a few photos. I also loaned her my camera for her trip, so these are some more camera phone shots...sorry about that!
I made this one out of some sheer red and white polka-dot fabric accented with some sheer cream. I sort of flew blind on this one, using pieces of different patterns and just sort of draping and adding things until I got what I wanted. I can definitely tell the difference in fit as opposed to dresses that I've made with actual patterns; I'm probably not quite skilled enough to do this yet...but I think that it turned out all right!



I gave it an asymmetrical ruffled collar to accentuate the asymmetrical closing, although looking at it now I wonder if I shouldn't have reversed the long and short sides of the collar. It's sort of visually heavy all on that one side, but I wanted to be sure that the collar didn't cover up any of those great buttons! The hat is the same one that I made to match this skirt, I just took out the brown feather and added a red one. I love this hat pattern; being able to switch out the accent pieces makes it so versatile, and I just love the way it looks. This one and the navy one made from the same pattern get almost constant wear.



The buttons and buckle are a vintage set; hopefully you can see how beautifully designed they are in this picture:



I really need to start doing bound buttonholes; they add so much, but I just can't seem to make myself take the time do do them! By the time I get to that point in a project, I am already eyeing the next one on the list, and have probably even started cutting out some pattern pieces. Terrible!

It's Winter Again!

Well, after over a month of 70-80 degree weather, the past two days have inexplicably been in the 40s and 50s! I'm not too upset about it, though; it means that I can wear the coat that I have just finished!


Sorry about the blurry photos; my husband was taking them as we were both attempting to keep our toddler corralled on the porch! The coat was another huge piece of clothing that I found at the Salvation Army. It was monstrous, but it is a beautiful color of green, and you can't buy wool fabric as cheaply as you can buy a discarded wool coat! Of course, I didn't take a picture of it before I started cutting it up; I'm just too impatient! It was so large that it required extensive alterations: I moved the shoulders up three inches on each side, and ended up taking seven inches out of the body of the coat. I made the belt out of some of that extra fabric, and found the perfect vintage green and tan buckle in my stash to go with it. I also put three parallel tucks down the length of each sleeve; hopefully you can see them in the pictures. I found the tan faux fur at a local fabric shop and made the collar and cuffs.



I used some more extra fabric to embellish the hat, which is not quite finished; I started working on it this winter, but I put it away because the weather turned warm. I still need to put a wire in the brim and finish the edges, but I made it to match the coat, so I wanted to wear it while I had the chance!




I made the covered buttons from some green satin that was left over from a dress that I made a few months ago. It just happened to be the exact same color of green, and I am actually wearing it under the coat in these pictures, but it was just too cold and rainy to get any pictures of it. They're coming, though!



I have been wanting a coat like this for as long as I can remember; I'm just sad that I won't get to really wear it until next year!


More fun with editing!!