I made this dress for June out of designer fabric samples... the kind that come bound in an 11x17 book. Not much to work with.
I pieced my favorite toile prints together. There are at least seven or eight different toile prints combined on this dress. I tried to stick with patterns based on red, yellow and blue.
I have to admit, there were moments while making this, that I wondered if it would be cute or hideous. There is no middle ground here. I kept plugging away at it with the voice of Tim Gunn saying, "Make it work!" in my head.
The three red rosettes were made from strips of the same red fabric used on the band. I found the tutorial online. Here is one tutorial... I couldn't find the original one I used. Same idea, but I didn't use glue. I stitched it all.
I added a pocket on the front for the little treasures June finds here and there.
The red rosettes, the trim on the pocket, and the band at the bottom pull it all together.
It is sophisticated and whimsical.
And I think it works.
