Once again, I opted to prioritize hiking over sewing this weekend. And that means new jumpy pictures!
Hmm. I should really learn some new jumps. But oh how I love a good jumpy picture. So much better than standing pictures.
Anyway, I did manage to squeeze in a tiny bit of sewing, though as usual with little progress to show for it. I’ve been wanting a graphic print shirtdress for a while now, inspired by a dress I once saw on an employee at a fancy fabric store, and the rendition on the envelope of Simplicity 2403:
Look how smug she looks with her super cool fabric. I want to outsmug her. As for the fabric store employee, I was crazy about her dress and as she was cutting my fabric (long since forgotten), I asked her whether she had made the dress and if so where she had found the fabric. She responded that she had bought the dress and they didn’t sell the fabric. Boo. After many subsequent months of keeping an eye out for an appropriately modern graphic fabric, surprisingly hard to find in a shirtdress-appropriate weight and drape, I discovered this silk twill on Fabric Mart, and snatched it up immediately, as it had exactly the vibe I was going for and reminded me so much of the dress I had admired. Then clever Toby pointed out that the print was Isaac Mizrahi for Liz Claiborne from 2009. Sharp eye there, T! A little poking around revealed that this same print had been used on a shirtdress in that collection, albeit in cotton poplin.
So now I’m pretty sure that the Claiborne dress is the exact one that the fabric store employee was wearing, and that means that, once again, the Selfish Seamstress has gotten pretty much EXACTLY WHAT SHE WANTS, except that haha, take that! Mine is silk! It’s like a fairy tale in which the evil stepsister comes out on top! (Incidentally, for those who followed the silk vs. acetate saga, the more I sew with it, the more convinced I become that it really is silk.)
I have to admit, I’ve always been a little bit wary of this view of Simplicity 2403:
because I always worry that with the wrong choice of fabric fabric and wrong fit, it could veer off into the territory of FLDS fashion, which isn’t really my style:
I’m still not convinced that this pattern isn’t going to look frumpy on me, but I’m hoping that the graphic print (and the fact that, my goodness, this pattern is a lot more snug than I’ve ever experienced from a Big 4 dress pattern!) will give it some cool. Cool like I work in an office where all the furniture and decor is white and there’s nothing on my desk but an iPad, a bottle of Voss water, a Moleskine notebook, and some very sharp pencils.
Oh, I guess you want to see the current state of the dress:
It still needs the sleeves, zipper (on the left side), hem, buttons, and sash. I like the collar a lot:
Maybe this will be finished soon. Who knows. Another really busy week up ahead. Oh, and I may have ordered a Baby Lock Evolution today. Oops.
44 comments
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September 5, 2011 at 9:11 am
Funnygrrl
Looking good!
Avoid the pouff to avoid the whole FLDS look. Also I don’t think they are stitching with Claiborne silk.
September 5, 2011 at 9:14 am
rosesred
Dear heavens, how high can you actually jump? It looks like you’re able to jump tall buildings in a single leap in that picture, and have fun while doing it. The dress looks very promising, I firmly believed the fabric was acetate lining, so I’m jealou….Happy! I mean happy! to see it’s working out. How cool that you matched the placket and the bodice. Details like that will definitely add to the smug-worthyness of a dress, and this one is looking so pretty already.
September 6, 2011 at 5:00 am
selfishseamstress
I can jump pretty high. I sold my soul for this ability, which is why I no longer have one. In retrospect I probably should have asked for more than just jumping skills.
September 5, 2011 at 9:21 am
Redrockcity
I love that print! I love those mountains! In fact I’m wildly jealous of both. You have hit the evil step sister jackpot. The Babylock–its just icing on the cake. Probably a delicious nusstorte mit schlag if this fairy tale ends the way I think it does.
September 6, 2011 at 5:00 am
selfishseamstress
Oh, no nusstorte at the end of the hike, sadly. It ended in lemon sorbet, which was not a bad alternative.
September 5, 2011 at 9:21 am
Gemma
(wiping tears of laughter from eyes) You’ve made my day! Love the frumpy photo! And that is some darn good print matching you’ve got going on there. Can’t wait to see the finished dress.
I agree too – jumpy photos are much more fun than standing ones!
September 5, 2011 at 9:21 am
Claire (aka Seemane)
Dress s’lookin’ good :)!
And mmmmmm… a new machine (re: the Babylock Serger/Overlocker) always = good times! (Imagine that said in the voice of Homer Simpspn drooling over a mountain of free donuts!)
September 6, 2011 at 5:01 am
selfishseamstress
Mmm…. doughnuts…..
September 5, 2011 at 9:48 am
Sewing Princess
Love the mountains… I moved to a place where I am surrounded by nature and it’s getting tough to imagine how I lived in a city before. Dress is really cute…still laughing about that old lady style…as long as you don’t add shoulder pads and keep the sleeve tight you should be ok :o)
September 5, 2011 at 10:34 am
montanachic
I can’t wait to see it, it is going to be great!
September 5, 2011 at 11:04 am
Jackie
Beautiful place to hike! I think you made the right choice. Also, the FLDS reference made me snort. Nice.
September 5, 2011 at 11:06 am
woolcat
Did you notice how Mrs FLDS in the middle is doing that pose, you know, the one that bloggers use when they have finished a new outfit and they want to emphasis that they have a waistline (preferably, of course, a nice full one)? This and this alone makes me think she made her own dress. And all the others. From the same pattern from either 1889 or 1988.
September 6, 2011 at 5:02 am
selfishseamstress
I LOVE that pose! If it weren’t for that pose, I wouldn’t have a waist at all! And I agree- FLDS lady in the middle is totally owning the rest of them. Though something gives me the feeling they all know how to sew.
September 5, 2011 at 11:10 am
BeckyW
Love your jumpy photo?
Is that Austin’s Project Runway model Melissa in the Simplicity photo?
September 5, 2011 at 11:54 am
Anonymous
With those short sleeves, there is no way you will look FLDS in this shirtdress. (The elbow is the gateway joint to showing your arms to everyone. If you were FLDS and wore this, you’d be some old man’s spiritual wife by brunch).
September 6, 2011 at 5:03 am
selfishseamstress
Heheh… I think I’m a little old to be taken as a spiritual wife. My babymaking years are definitely limited! But I definitely plan on showing some slutty elbow :)
September 5, 2011 at 1:18 pm
Terry Carter
Love the “frumpy” (and grouchy looking picture) But great matching job on yours so far.
I am sure that the rest will look just as smashing.
September 5, 2011 at 1:53 pm
kathyh
I missed your blog voice while you were on that long vacation from it.
When I try to do snarky – it just comes off as a whine.
September 6, 2011 at 5:04 am
selfishseamstress
Whining is also a skill that I appreciate. And if you’ve got it, flaunt it!
September 5, 2011 at 3:24 pm
Meredith P
Just remember to wear lipstick…and the FLDS sister wives will not have you in their midst. ;-)
I wouldn’t have given that Simplicity pattern a second glance…now, I’ll probably have to add it to the stash.
Now tell us about this whole “I think I might have…” thing.
September 6, 2011 at 5:06 am
selfishseamstress
It’s funny that lipstick is verboten when clearly those women have no problem with going through a can of hairspray a week! (Yes, I know, tall hair brings you closer to heaven…)
Um. Yeah, so about that serger. More on that to come… it hasn’t quite sunk in yet.
September 5, 2011 at 3:59 pm
Corinne
oh welcome back. I needed a chuckle really bad! by the way, the dress looks good so far!
September 5, 2011 at 5:52 pm
Lyddie
That dress is looking very good, so far. The puffy sleeves in the line drawing worry me, though. Perhaps you could shorten the sleeve cap? I just did that with a dress after the muslin came out puffy, and I was happy with the results.
September 5, 2011 at 10:55 pm
K-Line
Congrats on the Baby Lock!
September 6, 2011 at 5:27 am
Gail
I have a baby lock – you will not regret it. I love your dress. I am always sold on black and white prints. This pattern is buried in my pattern stash, unloved and ignored. Perhaps I should give it some TLC.
September 6, 2011 at 8:00 am
Anne-Marie
Love the jump pic. Silly spinning videos are fun too. Hold the video camera in front of your face spin slowly, looks like the background is spinning and add an eighties soundtrack.
September 6, 2011 at 8:00 am
Melody
I’ve made that dress twice and am preparing to do it again. It’s fabulous and fits me perfectly. Hope you have the same luck.
September 6, 2011 at 10:42 am
Elizabeth
Wow, how do they get their hair to do that??!?! I think you have entirely escaped the FLDS chic. And that graphic print is perfect for that dress. Can’t wait to see it all finished.
September 6, 2011 at 11:26 am
lladybird
an evolution! ooh jealous. i have an imagine but i would probably sell my soul for an evolution.
September 6, 2011 at 12:29 pm
Trisha
Where did you order your Baby Lock Evolution from? Can’t wait to hear how you like it.
p.s. Love the jumping photo.
September 6, 2011 at 2:38 pm
SenaSews
Now you really made me want to own a printed shirt dress in my own. Love the dress and the fabric choice so far.
September 6, 2011 at 6:23 pm
Lori
I think you’ll really like the Evolution. I have the Evolve, the older but very similar model. The two features I just love about it are the coverstitch and the auto-tension. Air jet thread is nice to have too but given the choice between threading the machine or messing with the tension dials on a serger, I’d thread the thing myself any day, even blindfolded. But you don’t even need to make that choice – you get both! This will be your primary machine if you sew with knits. Take care of it!
September 7, 2011 at 8:50 am
Ana
Nobody has that little on their desk – we need evidence.
September 7, 2011 at 10:08 am
The Slapdash Sewist
I am so impressed with your pattern matching. That is why I stay away from the clever graphic prints.
Jealous of your hike and your jumping ability!
September 7, 2011 at 1:36 pm
Anne-Marie
I smell a great, wonderful, super dress coming up! woaw ! The pattern matching is pure perfection.
September 9, 2011 at 4:21 pm
Michelle
I just recently started reading your blog, girl you’re hilarious, love it! I just wanted to request more pictures of your husband ……can he jump? Its ok standing pictures are cool :-) Love the FLDS reference too!
September 10, 2011 at 8:33 pm
Patrice
I just saw this same fabric at a store called The Silk Road in Newton, Massachusetts. It was billed as silk; it really is lovely!
September 29, 2011 at 7:32 pm
kbenco
Having just looked up FLDS, that photo is even more scary than it was at first. I should have stuck with ignorance!
I don’t think your silk print could evoke that style.
October 12, 2011 at 4:01 pm
tara
Hi, just discovered your site and love it! Very inspiring and makes me want to get sewing. I just had a quick read of acetate/silk mystery and you probably had heaps of advice (I didn’t read all the comments :)) I find if you wet silk in water it goes sort of slimy. A bit weird and not altogether pleasant but true! Ps. love the inprogress shirtdress.
October 18, 2011 at 10:15 pm
Yan
Just discovered your blog. I’ve made quilts and pillows, but just now starting to learn to sew clothes for myself. Thank you for making me laugh so hard with that picture.
January 6, 2012 at 2:10 am
Kim
So glad I found your blog – your wit and sewing skills make a fabulous combination! Don’t worry, that fabric and chic pattern will keep you far away from FLDS territory.
February 19, 2012 at 3:09 pm
Autumn
I bought this pattern but have not had time to sew it, and I have been wondering if you have finished this dress yet? I would love to see it finished.
April 27, 2012 at 7:50 am
Bonnie
I actually think this would be a great dress the way it is; sans sleeves. I love the print. Would you mind sharing the name of the fabric/manufacturer?
August 31, 2012 at 8:02 pm
veronicaraven
I have just discovered your blogs and your sewing. You are so adorably selfish and generous at the same time. ( coming from a former ballerina- seamstress grandmother). Keep jumping through life with your creativity and enthusiasm!