Homemade Friday: Washi Dress

Oh dresses.  You can never have too many home-sewn dresses.  And I fully plan on putting that mantra to the test.  Dresses are my favorite thing to sew and my favorite thing to wear.  They're just so easy, you know?  It's easy to throw one on and look halfway put together without too much effort.  Plus they're comfortable and look much better on me than shorts so they're perfect for summer.

This dress is the Washi Dress by made by rae.  I debated this one.  At first I thought that it would make me look somewhat pregnant, which I am not and have no desire to be or look like.  There's something about the gather in the front that put me off.

But I couldn't deny that I liked the dress.  I liked the neckline and the pockets and the sleeves and the gathered back.  And it was different.  It was still simple in that there were no zippers or buttons or anything that would trip me up when sewing, but it had an edge.  It had a design.

So I ordered the pdf pattern and printed out all the pages and cut everything out and taped everything together and cursed pdf sewing patterns and vowed never again to buy one.  (I've already broken that vow.  I am a fickle vow-er.)

I made a couple of changes to the pattern.  First, I lengthened the bodice an inch or two.  My thinking was that if I could lower the waist somewhat it would ease a bit of the maternity-ness of the dress and I think it worked.  I also think that if I hadn't done that the skirt would have started directly under my bubs, which, while perfectly fine for some, was not the look I wanted.

I also lengthened the skirt because I thought it was going to be too short, but it turned out to be an awkward length.  Not short enough but also not long enough, you know?  So I just shortened it back to the way it was supposed to be and I'm satisfied.

The material was from a big box store, super cheap and awesome.  It's a lightish brown with blue and brown flowers on it.  Would you like to see a close-up since you can't really tell anything from these photos?

The only issue I have with this dress now is that something went wrong on the sleeves.  And by that I mean that I've been lazy when it comes to arm exercises.  These sleeves are too tight.  They rub right where my arm meets my body and by the end of the day it is red and sore.  I think I can fix it, though.  I just haven't yet.  I'm too busy wearing it and suffering through the pain.

I made Chris take this picture after we had
spent the day cutting down trees and hauling
branches.  I don't think he was happy with me.