Lime Toile Easter 2014 Dress

A couple years ago, I kept coming back to some pattern art I had pinned that had a sash sewn into the side seams, that angled a bit downwards in front and then wrapped around to the back. I loved the lines it created.

 

I decided that this was going to be my inspiration for my Easter dress that year! So I created a simple bodice using Butterick 5982, I wanted a V-neck and short sleeves so I used bodice C on the far right.

I altered the back to also have a V-neck. I wanted the sash to be a contrasting color, and decided to go with a gorgeous lime Asian toile fabric I had sitting around, and used a deep teal chiffon for the sash. I added a circle skirt (which ended up being too short due to lack of fabric, more on that in a bit!)

You'll notice I have no pictures of this dress I created, lol, because at the time I wasn't blogging much and somehow never took an Easter pic! I liked the result, but the sash ended up being a little fussy, and I wasn't sure I loved the contrasting color in the end.

I didn't wear the dress a single time after that Easter, and recently pulled it out and thought, you know, I bet it would be better without the sash. So I ripped open the side seam, removed the sash, and sewed it back up.

It was SO MUCH BETTER!!

As you can see, the full lining extends beyond the hem a few inches. This was my fix to the fact that I didn't have enough of the main fabric to get the length I wanted. But as often happens with creative solutions to problems, I ended up liking it even more with the peekaboo hem, it reminds me of a petticoat!

I think this was my most successful sleeve insertion to date, I often feel restricted by sleeves on dresses I've sewn and haven't quite figured out how to make it better, so I tend to go with sleeveless and plan on adding a cropped sweater! But as I wore this one I realized the sleeves are actually pretty comfortable on this one, makes me want to get out the pattern to use as a bodice again when I want sleeves.

 I added a waist stay (the color was a fun little wink to the sash which is no longer there, lol)....

...and pockets of course!

So strangely enough it ended up being rather different than I planned, and my entire inspiration for it is nowhere to be seen on the dress itself, but that's just how the creative process works sometimes, isn't it? 

Another surprise is, it ended up in my destash pile of dresses, which means I've listed it on Etsy along with my other efforts at making more room in my closet. I had a harder time with this one, as I ended up really liking its reincarnation sans sash, and my husband even commented on how much he liked it on me! But, it's still about an inch or two shorter than my favorite, most comfortable length, and at the time I made it I felt like more length on the peekaboo lining hem would have started to look odd. And seriously, even after a brutal go through my closet slashing my wardrobe in half, I still have TWENTY FIVE dresses, y'all! And you know I'm constantly making more. So...yeah. I figured I could stand to let it go. ;-)

But I learned a lot from making this dress, most notably that though sometimes you start with one source of inspiration, it won't necessarily be that specific thing that you end up loving about it, so it's good to be flexible and edit as you go. And that's useful knowledge I'll be keeping with me as I continue to learn, with or without this dress around!