New Duds

Well, almost new duds.

I am just about finished ironing out the kinks on one of my dress patterns. Since my new favorite fabric store was having a sale today -- everything in the store 25% off -- I decided to take the plunge and get my first cuts of real fabric for experimenting. Both prints are from the Robert Kaufman line, which in my opinion is one of the best for quality cottons. I have to admit that these two fabrics caught my eye the very first time I went to Fabric Depot and I had a hard time resisting a giant purchase. So, this trip was pretty easy. I picked out the prints, found a nice cotton lining, got all of my notions, and am now ready to get to work.

The fabric on the left side of my duct tape dummy (white, black, and gold) will be for the dress. Very Anthropologie don't you think? The Isla Dorada dress was the inspiration for me to try sewing clothes for myself. I remember our first meeting distinctly; Ms. Dorada staring at me from the display window in the Pearl District. I'm certainly not interested in copying the design, particularly the ruffles, but the graphic print and simplicity of style drew me in immediately. Also, at $178 retail, my creation will come in at a fraction of the cost (about $35 for fabric and notions, not including the cost of the pattern or practice muslin).

And the fabric on the right side of Erin 2.0 (green and gold circles) will be for the shirt pattern that I perfected this past week. I purchased a little more fabric than necessary for the shirt, so maybe I'll have enough left over for a simple a-line skirt. We'll see, I don't want to get too ahead of myself. So, I'm off to wash up my new finds and finish up the last touches on the practice muslin dress!