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Finally snuck away to the sewing station.
This dress was designed well before summer started and just happy it was finished before we met its end.
Dresses are so great for summer but can be complicated when you are nursing a baby. I do love wrap dresses but in those I have had bad luck with toddlers disrobing me in public. This dress on the other hand was designed as full performance mom wear, it can be worn at a playground on the hottest day of summer, there is no awkward pulling or tugging down a shirt when I wrap the baby on my back, there is easy access for nursing, huge pockets and of course machine washable.
The fabric is a textured cotton that Marie' was so kind to bring home from Japan for me.
The pattern.... I'm wishing I made one because I really like this dress but it was another stand in front of the mirror and self drape project. I have finally realized it takes more work to fit a standard pattern to my body than to make something up on my own. I've got the shoulders and rib cage of a 12 year old but the hips, bumps and lumps of a mother with 7 children, it is hard enough to find good fitting ready to wear let alone sewing patterns. I did find the clothes in Spain fit me pretty good so if anyone knows of a Spanish pattern company I'd love to try them out.
The secret to this dress is there is elastic in the neckline just before the twist meets. An under tee keeps me modest but it is cropped just below the bust line. For this reason I can comfortably pull the neckline down and pull the cropped under shirt up for feeding access. Here is a close up of the neckline:
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The only problem with this dress is one of the children asked me if there was another baby in my tummy. It does look puffy but that is what makes it kind of comfy - gotta love Mom Wear!
I love the pockets! What an efficient outfit!! No fuss, but still REALLY cute! You could still wear it in the fall with leggings or thick tights. Knee boots?
ReplyDeleteI love the fabric! I love how you can stand in front of a mirror, drape fabric around you and come up with such a cute dress!
ReplyDeleteyou look just stunning! Great pictures and an awesome dress :)
ReplyDeleteI love that dress. I was wondering how it was "feeding friendly" with that undershirt going on so thanks for answering that question. Last year when I was nursing I really wanted a "maxi dress" but could not figure out how I could possibly nurse my baby with that thing on plus an undershirt. I have never even thought about using a cropped one so thanks for the tip. I am truly amazed by your ability to drape fabric and then sew. Too bad I don't live near you so I could watch you do it and learn. Thanks for always inspiring me Al. :)
ReplyDeleteSo cute! You are so talented. The cropped undershirts are a great solution for nursing - I also have one that I just cut across the front only.
ReplyDeleteAl - great outfit. That would be an everyday uniform for me with the heat. It's great it works for nursing.
ReplyDeleteAl- this is so cute and it so perfectly functional. I'm still nursing Lucy and miss wearing dresses. Serioulsy- you could sell this on etsy. I would buy it! Love the fabric
ReplyDeleteI love the "Mom in Action" shots!!! George is getting so big. Ally saw the picture of Clara and said, "Mommy is that me?"
ReplyDeleteYou were the person with the original idea of cropping Shade shirts! Cute and functional. Seems like this would be great for outings in public.
ReplyDeleteYou beat me to the double gauze! It looks very comfortable and cool! I love the nursing advantage.
ReplyDeleteI am telling you. You need to start a pattern business.
That is a great dress. Love it!
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