Hello, Sunshine!

posted by I'm Rachel. , on 5/01/2011 ,

It's that time of year. Time to pull out the shorts and sundresses and say "Hello! Whoa! Get some sun on those legs!"

Unfortunately, I don't tan. But, I've come to accept it and now embrace summer fashion, overlooking passers-by who have to pull out their sunglasses to avoid the glare.

I've been following two very talented ladies, who regularly blog about their adventures in fashion sewing: Sophia Sews and Dixie DIY. These girls are so precious and trendy and ambitious.

They inspired me to pull out my fabric stash and tackle a new dress! So, I've been up to my shoulders this week in pattern paper, pins, and fabulous fabric.

Here's what I'm making. Vogue pattern #1174.

Here's my work in progress.

I think it's going to be lovely! But I will tell you that, for me, sewing with a Vogue pattern is a bit like cooking from a Martha Stewart recipe. Martha is infamous for ingredients that leave me asking, "Where do I even find that in the grocery store?" Likewise, one of the major fabrics required for this dress was "hair canvas." I'm sorry... what was that? The sales associate at Hancock couldn't even tell me what hair canvas is. In my research, I've discovered that it is a special type of interfacing. I decided just to purchase regular sew-in interfacing to substitute.

All of this sewing and spring wardrobing has made me nostalgic about projects past. Here are a few of the dresses that I've sewn. {Warning. Blinding white ahead.}