victory!

This is a dress that almost wasn't.  Everything took longer than I thought it should have taken, and by the end, I was so frustrated that I almost didn't bother with hemming.  But now, I'm really glad I did.

This is the Hazel dress from Victory Patterns. I have eyeing these patterns for a while, and I was particularly drawn to the ladylike-ness of Hazel.  Bow blouse plus shift dress plus color-blocking equals love.  I have sewn plenty of children's clothing from digital patterns, but adult clothing digital patterns are a beast of another breed.  All that cutting and taping sucked my enthusiasm a bit, and then cutting this slippery poly crepe georgette sucked a bit more away.  I think just getting the pattern put together and then cut out took three days.  The construction of the dress went fairly quickly, but it was not without frustration.  The pattern instructions are pretty good; my tension on my machine was not.

But enough with the whining.  I LOVE that I fully lined this dress.  I left out the neckline facings and added a bodice lining to the skirt lining, and it feels so good to wear.  I LOVE the colors together.  It doesn't get more girlie than hot pink and deep purple.  When I first put Hazel on, I wasn't sure I loved the style; she's very loose, and I wondered if I looked like I was wearing a sack.  I've worn her twice now, and especially after looking at the pictures, I LOVE the style.  It's easy and flattering and oh-so-ladylike.

In the end, I count this dress as a success.  I was worried for a minute that she wouldn't make it to my closet, but here we are, Hazel and me, so perfect for each other.