Finished Project: 1970s Chambray Dress

Here's the first completed projected from my whittled down sewing pattern collection: a denim chambray dress with contrasting yellow stitching and buttons! The total cost of materials, including the vintage pattern, was around $12.00. The 100% cotton fabric is quite wrinkled in the photos; I've been wearing the dress all day and it's super-comfy!

Now for the truth......I don't know what to think about this dress just yet! It was easy enough to sew (although the front placket and collar band gave me some minor troubles) and it's insanely comfortable to wear, I'm just not sure if I like the "tubular" shape or the side slits or the curved hem. I don't think the tubular shape is particularly flattering for someone like me who has a curvier figure. A belt will probably solve the fit issues, though. Oh! And here's my next project:

I'll be making view A (without the bow, though) and will use the plaid cotton fabric pictured above; the contrasting yellow fabric will be the collar. Hopefully I'll have it finished by this time next week!

Completed Project: "Nerds Rock!" Dress

Here's my latest finished project that I made from that crazy "Nerds Rock!" fabric that I wrote about in a previous post:

I used Simplicity 7304 (copyright 1985). It's a simple sleeveless blouson dress with an elastic waistline, full gathered skirt, side-seam pockets and an asymmetric collar with an attached bow at the left shoulder. The collar and bow are made from contrasting turquoise rayon and I think the drape makes it look more like an attached scarf than a collar.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about the finished dress. I wouldn't have made it sleeveless if I'd had enough fabric left to make sleeves. I like how the color of the rayon fabric matches the turquoise in the cotton fabric. I don't, however, think a blouson bodice dress with a full gathered skirt suits my particular body type. Still, it was a fun project and any time spent sewing is never a waste! I also uploaded this to my studio at BurdaStyle.