Brocade Beauty

 I made this dress for my sister Rachel for her birthday in June, and she loved it!  Yay!  Rachel is a very tiny petite lady, so making clothes for her is pretty easy.  It also helps that she gravitates towards simple shapes, and that I hardly needs any fabric at all to make a piece for her.  Ha!  But it really is true; this whole dress probably took less than a yard and a half of fabric to make.  

I have made Rachel two dresses using this simple pattern, and they both turned out great.  This version is pretty fancy, but the second version is a bit more casual and easy to wear because it is made of a thick, light colored cotton.  I’ll get some pictures of her wearing that dress too.  Eventually.    

This dress however is made out of vibrant blue brocade that I got on my trip to New York in May.  It is fully lined with a light, sea foam green fabric (I’m not really sure what it is made out of, but it is very thin and perfect as a lining material).  It is a good idea to always line brocade pieces because brocade isn't the most comfortable against your skin, and it also frays pretty badly if it gets too much friction from your body.  I don’t always line brocade pieces, but I really should. 

Front view.  

Side view.

Back view: note the cute little key hole detail.  :)

Pretty sister!  :)

I haven’t really been in a sewing mood lately, but I’m going to try to break the curse and make something new this week.  Maybe I’ll even finish up one of the many projects I already have started!  I have a habit of starting projects, getting frustrated and putting them away to try again another day...a day that never comes.  So, I am making it my goal to pick back up some of the old projects I had started since my sewing journey began, and see if starting in the middle can be a little more inspiring than starting a new project feels right now.  I am ready to have some new clothes, so I better get on it!