Wanted: More Sewing Time

There seems to come a time in every seamstresses life when you find yourself in a bit of predicament. You see, my head is brimming with ideas much like that of an overstuffed shopping cart on one of those 90's grocery games. The ideas are spewing out of my brain, falling to the floor, and grabbing on to my ankles for dear life, begging to not be forgotten. The problem, you see, is that I am closing in on the end of another semester, and it is proving to be quite busy, snatching my sewing time away like a thief in the night.

I have quite the beast of an accounting project due, followed by my final book report for financial planning. The icing on the cake is my behemoth sized estate plan that I must write for my fictitious clients, who undoubtedly have the most dysfunctional fictitious family ever. You could throw Charlie Sheen into my "clients" family and he would blend right in.  Fear not, however, as I am going to come in and save the day for my "clients" by telling them exactly how to dole out their estate when one of them kicks the bucket. With my guidance they can set up a CRUT or a CRAT, or a CLT, together we'll avoid gift tax, and do out best to minimize GSTT. Forget it, I would much rather be drowning myself in the world of sewing jargon, but I also have a desire to support my fabric habit with a decent paying job, so estate planning it is.

Lovely readers, I have to take a break from sewing until I get all my end of semester projects wrapped up, signed, sealed, and delivered. In the meantime I promise that there will be lots of day dreaming about sewing. frequent trips to visit my sewing machine (who still is without a name by the way), and maybe some general whining about my lack of sewing time to any I can force to listen. I might even sneak in a trip to Joanns on Saturday when the patterns are on sale. You know I can't resist a pattern sale.

So, wonderful, fabulous readers, will you wait for me? I promise that when I return to the blog world there will be wonderful posts. I will finish up the posts of my 50s catalog, and hopefully I will be able to get some shorts patterns Saturday and start working on those before the weather gets any warmer. So, I ask you in my sappiest voice, "Will you wait on me?"

Happy Sewing!

Butterick Flop and My New Plan

Hello lovely readers!

For the past two night I have been cutting out and stitching up a muslin of Butterick 5209, which sadly flopped.The good news? No, I didn't just save a ton of money by switching my car insurance to Geico, but I did make a muslin! Unfortunately, I can't post any pictures because I made my muslin from a quite threadbare, and therefore see through, thrifted bed sheet. I am so thankful that I made a muslin and didn't waste any of my good fabric. The pattern itself is fine, though the instructions don't go in a very logical order, and quite easy as it only has four different pieces. The entire bodice is self lined, but I chose to skip the lining since it was a muslin.

In the end I decided that I just didn't care for the way the dress fits. The halter comes up quite high on the neck for my taste and it seems to go too far back underneath my arms. I prefer my halter dresses to have a bit of a plunging neckline and then a longer skirt length to balance out the amount shown on top, however if you wanted a halter dress that provided a bit more cleavage coverage then this pattern might work out perfectly. 

The pattern also included a short sleeved version that I might still give a try, with a muslin first of course, so the pattern may not be a total loss. Here is a picture of the pattern: for reference. If you do decide to tackle this I would suggest making a muslin first as some "sewing insurance".

Since my Butterick pattern flopped I have already conjured up a backup plan involving another halter dress. This time I am going to give Vogue 8727 a try. The Vogue dress is fully lined, which in my mind makes it a bit dressier, but I will probably still wear it as a summer sundress. The Vogue pattern includes both a full skirted version and a fitted skirt version, both of which I intend to make if the halter portion fits correctly.

This pattern was just released with this seasons patterns and it seems that it doesn't have any reviews yet over at Pattern Review. After examining the instructions I will offer a word of warning if you intend to sew one of the longer versions of the dress. For example, the longer halter dress requires over five yards of fabric for the outer fabric and the same amount of lining, and the dress in the bottom right requires about eight yards of both lining and outer fabric! Sixteen yards of fabric for what I would consider to be a sundress seems crazy!

I won't be able to start working on my Vogue pattern until next week because I need to go to Joanns to buy lining, but I don't want to go until Saturday when McCalls, Vogues, and Buttericks are all on sale. Oh yes, i do plan my trips specifically around pattern sales.  In the meantime I might whip up another version of my Burda skirt or work on a Butterick skirt that is currently a UFO.

So, readers, I want to hear from you. What are you working on this week? Has anyone made that Butterick pattern? What about halter dresses? Do you love them or hate them?

Happy Sewing!

Finished: Kate Spade Inspired Skirt

If you have been reading this blog for any amount of time you know that I love to post photos of clothes that inspire me. I am sure that some of you have wondered if I was ever going to actually make something inspired by one of those pieces. Fear not, because the Kate Spade inspired skirt is now making it's debut!

I chose Burda 8155 as the pattern to recreate the lovely little Kate Spade number. Here is my inspiration. It doesn't seem to be available for sale anymore, but you can see the Polyvore link here.

Kate Spade original: $123
My version: Around $10
Being able to recreate designer clothing: Priceless

Now, behold my version!

Here is a snapshot of what I did, what I shouldn't have done, and what I am going to do differently next time.

• I cut a 42 (16), which turned out to be quite snug. I let the side seams out to 1/4" which fixed the problem somewhat. When I make this again, I will cut all the pieces a little bit larger.
• I used sew in interfacing instead of the suggested fusible. Fusible interfacing is yucky and smells terrible.
• I hand basted the zipper in and then sewed.I will be doing this from now on as it went in perfectly the first time with no wonkiness whatsoever.
• I used hook and eyes as a waistband closure instead of the suggest button and buttonhole combo. This was out of necessity though. When I let out the side seams my waistband was no longer large enough to create enough "overhang" to be able to put the button, though I intend on using that closure method in the future.
• My fabric was a stretch woven from Fabric.com. I didn't think about the direction of my stretch when I was cutting out my pieces so the stretch runs vertically in my skirt. In the future I will be more mindful when cutting out my pieces

Overall, I am really happy with this skirt! This is probably the most well constructed garment that I have made so far. It is so much fun to yourself progress from the time you started sewing!

Happy Sewing!!

Summer Shorts Inspiration

First of all I want to say thank you for all the wonderful comments on yesterday's shorts post. I will definitely be checking out all of your pattern suggestions and picking up a few at the next sale.

First up on tonight's agenda is my current sewing project. I am working on a Kate Spade inspired skirt right now. All it needs is a hook and eye and the hem, which I intend to do by hand*, and then it will be ready for it's photo debut, weather permitting. Since I didn't have time to make an Easter dress I think I am going to deem this my Easter skirt.

* In the not so distant past I had publicly declared my hatred of hand sewing. However, I think I have had a change of heart. A girl can change her mind, right?  I still don't love it, but I think I am starting to see that it does have a purpose and can produce very satisfactory results. In the case of hand sewing, the end definitely justifies the means, even if the "means" are not a boatload of fun.  I decided to hand baste the zipper on my skirt and I became magically converted, and in awe, of the wonders that a little hand sewing can do.

Now, lets get to the main point on tonight''s agenda. Summer shorts! I have been perusing the interwebs for some lovely inspiration, so kick back, grab a snack, and take a look.

 

I really love the retro flair that these shorts possess, but with their price tag of $230 the only way I will possess them is to make myself a pair. 

I love bows and I love ruffles so of course I love these Modcloth shorts.

The pockets on these shorts, also from Modcloth, are precious! It couldn't be that hard to draw a heart to make a simple patch pocket, right? ( These are precious, but not precious enough to order a pair with their nearly $200 price tag.)

Modcloth definitely has the cutest shorts that I have found online. I really like the pair above, but I am not sure if that pleat would do anything to help my thighs.

I have posted these on another inspiration post before, but I still love them.

These shorts were also on another on my inspiration posts, and like the ones above, I still think they're quite cute.

Readers, what do you think? Do you love or hate my inspiration shorts? Have you seen any cute shorts while perusing clothing websites?

Happy Sewing!

Wanted: Summer Shorts

Shorts, shorts, where art thou shorts? Today, I went on a shopping quest to find some summer shorts. More specifically, I went on a thrift store shopping trip to find shorts. Sadly, I was met with rows and rows of all sorts on interesting and downright hideous bottoms, none of which suited my taste.

I know what you all are probably thinking. Why not stop by the mall, run to a few stores, and come out with a few pairs of shorts for those hot muggy days?  The answer? That option lacks the treasure hunt element that I love about thrift shopping. I do love digging though rack after rack of others castoffs until I find that one piece that makes it all worth it. So, what's the solution? Sew some shorts of course!!

 There is only one little hiccup in my plan. You see, pattern companies are still offering up shorts patterns that look like this.

 

No, this is not some 80's pattern that I dug out of hiding. This lovely little gem is still available from McCalls.

Not exactly what I had in mind for my summer wardrobe. Lets move on, shall we?

To be fair, McCalls does indeed redeem itself by being the only big four company to offer a basic shorts pattern in a variety of lengths. I will definitely be picking this one up at the next sale.

The shortest version of these uses less than one yard of 60" wide fabric. I always love when you can make a cute item without using a bolts worth of fabric.

Vogue offers one shorts pattern. The styling is quite interesting in the picture and it makes it a little hard to tell exactly what they look like, but the line drawing looks like a standard pair of shorts.

Simplicity also has this wardrobe pattern which includes a pair of shorts.

There are quite a few more shorts pattern options, but sadly they all contain elastic waists. I don't have anything against elastic waists, they do have their place in some garments, but for summer shorts that will be worn out of the house I want some sort of real closure.

In other sewing related news I am about half way done with a skirt that is loosely inspired by a Kate Spade skirt. The verdict is still out on whether or not it is going to zip, as I wasn't careful when choosing a size and the pattern happens to be a Burda pattern, which I had never made before.

Hopefully tomorrow I will have a post on some RTW shorts that I will use for my inspiration. As always, I LOVE your feedback. Do you wear shorts in the summer? Have you made shorts before? Have you used any of the patterns that I mentioned?

Happy Sewing!

Are You a Messy Marsha or a Clean Christine?

Lets start with a simple scenario. You want to start a new sewing project, so you gather your materials and proceed to go to your sewing room, sewing desk, or in my case, the dining room table. When you get there do you have to throw heaps of stuff in the floor just to find somewhere to cut out your fabric, or are you greeted by a neat and tidy work station all ready to go? Do you know exactly where your scissors are to start cutting your fabric or do you need to gather a search party to find them? When you're finally done sewing are all of your sewing tools back in the places, or does it look like a tornado has just spun through the room?
.
Just as everyone has their own unique taste in what they sew, it seems that everyone has their own style when it comes to their sewing space. Some of you could make Martha Stewart and Bree Van De Camp jealous with your impeccable sewing spaces where everything has a place. Some of you, on the other hand, myself included, keep your sewing space in such a state of disarray you need both the Clean House and Hoarders teams to come in and rescue you.

It seems that there are so many books, television shows, and products being marketed to help us become, and subsequently stay, organized. But, do we all need to be so organized? By all accounts my sewing space is messy, messier than I would ever keep my bedroom, but I don't mind it.  The media, and many popular reality shows like the ones I mentioned above, would try to have us believe that  messiness is a problem. Name one t.v. show that says, sure your house, or sewing space in this case,  is a bit cluttered, but that's not a problem? Personally, I can't think of one. Society, as a whole, would like us all to believe that being hyper organized somehow makes us a better person and that an organized life is a happier life. 

Don't get me wrong, I don't think that if you enjoy a neat and organized space that you have bought into the media hype of organization. Some people do work better in a neat and tidy space where they can find everything easily, and that is perfectly fine because that is what works for them. If you are a Martha Stewart in your sewing space that is great, and if I ever see your sewing space I will most likely ooh and ahh over your perfectly organized rows.

However, I think that is is quite plausible that some sewists keep their spaces neat and tidy not for themselves, but because they don't want others, such as guests in their home, to see their sewing mess. They don't want to be perceived as messy, which is very tied to the word lazy in so many of our minds, even though they are not always synonymous.

So, readers, I have a few questions for you. Are you a messy Marsha or a clean Christine in your sewing space? If you're messy, do you ever feel pressure to clean up and become organized? If you're clean, do you ever wish to just be messy, but don't for fear of what others might think? Or, lastly, do you just enjoy organization and prefer to keep your space that way? I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts!

1957 Florida Fashion Part 2

First of all I want to say thank you for all of the comments and suggestions on my last post! I was able to squeeze out a new piece from the fabric that I had. I will be spending quite a bit of time with my seam ripper in the near future.

I thought that I would share a few more pages from the Florida Fashions catalog today. There is so much spring and summer inspiration in there. If a super full skirted dress or a romper shows up in my "to sew" list anytime soon all blame can be placed on this catalog.

I love buttons as embellishments so naturally I am in love that with dress on the left.

I think I also need on of those blue dresses in my closet. These sold for a very reasonable $2.98 in 1957 which is about $23 in today's money, quite a steal in my opinion.

Their waists are so unbelievably small! I wonder what women did when those fashions were in style if they didn't have a teeny waist? I don't think any amount of shaping foundation garments could get most women's waist to be that tiny. Nonetheless, the dresses are quite cute.

I will take one of each dress on this page please. Well, maybe I'll take two of the dress in the middle, which is hands down my favorite.

There are still more pages to come, so stay tuned!

As always, I LOVE hearing your comments and feedback. Jump on in and tell me what you think. Which dress is your favorite? Would you wear these today or would you feel you were wearing a costume?
\
Happy Sewing!

SEWING RAGE!!

Have you ever been sewing and made a mistake so big, so hideous, so un-fixable that you entered into a self induced sewing rage complete with quick toss of the seam ripper across the room? I would have been able to answer no had you asked me this question half an hour ago but that is just no so anymore.

 For the past week or so I have been working on a Simplicity Project runway dress, and today I was nearing completion. Last night I selected one my beloved vintage metal zippers that matched oh so perfectly, and today I attempted to sew the zipper into the dress. my first attempt didn't go so well, so I took a break, ripped it out, and resewed. The second attempt wasn't perfect, but I deemed it decent, and went to open up the basted together seam... Does anyone see where this is going?

I ATTEMPTED TO OPEN UP THE SEAM WITH A LITTLE TOO MUCH FORCE, AND MANAGED TO SLICE A HUGE GASH AT LEAST SIX INCHES LONG IN MY DRESS!!!


This is what went through my mind as I chucked the seam ripper...$%*(@#%^*&^%%@!#$^&*&()^%#@@#$%&*()(*&^%$#@!@$&*()(*&^%^()(*&@#$##$%^*&^^&*^%$#@#$%^&*()(*&^!!

 Please tell me I am not the only one who has ever ruined a project in the home stretch? Has anyone else made an awful, un-fixable mistake?

Don't worry, I retrieved the seam ripper but it is on strict probation until further notice.

I wish you all happy, mistake free sewing!


UPDATE: I DO have enough fabric to re-cut the piece that I sliced through. Only time will tell if I actually end up finishing this or if it ends up in the "I'll get to it one day" pile. :]

1957 Florida Fashions Catalog

Last summer I went to a beast of an estate auction and was able to come home with hundreds of zippers, more vintage juice glasses than I will ever be able to use, a trunk load of vintage Tupperware, and a plethora of other knick-nacks and what-nots. One thing that I brought home was a box of random papers, which happened to include this wonderful catalog, quite a few ration stamps from WWII, and a whole heap of junk mail from the 80s.

Each and every time I look through this booklet I imagine myself sitting by the pool at my 50s ranch style house, sipping an iced beverage, and picking out all the wonderful dresses I plan on wearing to all of the fabulous parties and backyard barbecues that I will attend. I decided that I would share this wonderful catalog with my lovely readers so that you too can imagine yourself in your own 50's fantasy.

Note: This catalog is about 50 pages so I am going to break it up into a few separate posts, so stay tuned for more to come!

I need one of those polka dot dresses in my life!
Blue dress: $6.98 which is ~$53 in today's money
Polka dot dress: $8.98 which is ~ $68 in today's money

These little dresses look so sweet, and given their pastel colors they would make wonderful Easter dresses. It seems that less than $7 would have gotten you both the dress and the cardigan. Once again, $7 in 1957 ( the year this was published) is about $53 today.

( I had a little harder time getting decent pictures of the black and white pages.)
Those play suits, which the catalog calls shortalls or rompers, are so cute. It would be very interesting choosing a color without seeing it, especially with their color descriptions simply stating things like red of blue.

This may just be my favorite page from the catalog, though I am sure I will pick half a dozen other favorites as I post these.
The dress in the lower right corner sold for $3.98 which is about $30 today.
Below is a more zoomed in picture of the 2pc "weekender" shown in the middle of the page.

It seems that this "weekender" is a pair of shorts that have a removable skirt that buttons on top of the shorts. How cool is that? (Note: When you read how cool is that you must use your best Ina Garten voice to impersonate her saying how easy is that.)  The weekender also retailed for $3.98 or about $30 today.

I will post the rest of the pictures over the next few days.

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts. Which ones are your favorites? Would you wear these styles today?

Happy Sewing!

Exposed Zipper on a Shirt? Thumbs up or Thumbs Down?

Today, readers, I come to you all with a question. Do you like the trend of exposed zippers in clothing? What if that exposed zipper is in a shirt? How about if the exposed zipper runs down the front of a shirt? Before your mind wanders off on a hot pursuit to find the answers to those questions allow me to give you a little background to why I am asking such questions.

A few days ago I decided to sit down in the floor and proceed to dump out two giant containers of vintage patterns into my lap. With a smile on my face and joy in my heart I cheerfully dug through all my vintage goodies with no particular goal in mind. After a few minutes I happened upon a little gem from the 70s, 1975 to be exact.. The pattern includes a long sleeved dress, a short fluttery sleeve top, and bell bottom elastic waist pants. Before you fall off your computer chair in horror, allow me to comfort you by saying that I do not intend to make those pants..ever. The top, which includes a zipper down the center front, is the garment that caught my eye. As soon as I realized it had a zipper I started thinking of a modern trend : exposed zippers.

Would this pattern be a perfect way to marry a retro pattern and a modern trend or are these two entities best left to their own little corners of the world? There seems to be lots of pictures out there of dresses with exposed zippers running down the front, but I am coming up nearly empty on shirts containing the design feature.

This little number by Guess has an exposed zipper down the front, though this dress is not something I would wear.

Here is my lovely little retro gem.

I tried to get a better, closer up picture of the shirt, though it it a bit on the blurry side.  Try to picture this without the too tight scarf and gold belt as I would most certainly not be recreating those elements in my own top. I was thinking I could make it in crepe backed satin for the fabric and perhaps a vintage zipper with silver metal teeth. Thumbs up or thumbs down to that idea?

 Do you like the trend of exposed zippers? What do you think of my crazy little plot to make that shirt with an exposed zipper?  I'd love to hear your opinions so speak up!

Happy Sewing!!

Better "Bitter Housewife" Pictures

I was able to take a few more pictures of my apron today, since it is now bright and sunny outside as opposed to yesterday's gloomy thunderstorms.

I love love love the buttons on the back of the apron!

 
Happy Sewing!

The "Bitter Housewife" Apron

After much sewing and even more "unsewing" I finally finished another apron! I have decided to deem this the "bitter housewife" apron, because I will never be able to look at my apron without a tiny bit of bitterness. I picked up this project over a week ago thinking it would be a fun and quick project that would take me two days tops. It did prove to be relatively easy, until I got to the horrid waistband directions, which sent me into a tailspin of despair. In the end I conquered and ended up with a cute little apron with a lot of retro flair!

Here is the pattern I used, Butterick 4087. Mine is slightly different than the envelope because I left off the ric-rac trim and also decided to eliminate the pockets. When I first looked at the picture I though that this apron had actual pockets which made me quite excited, but once I cut the pieces out they were just patch pockets, really tiny patch pockets.

Here is my finished apron. Tomorrow, I should be able to take some more pictures outside where there is better light. It has been thundering, lightening, and raining here for two days so I wasn't able to go outside for pics. Also, the fabric is navy with tiny white polka dots, which seems to throw my camera into a frenzy when I am trying to get a pic.

Happy Sewing!

Yipee! An award!

I won! I won! I won! Well, sort of anyways. The lovely Mary, who blogs at Idle Fancy, was so kind to pass on the stylish blogger award to me. If you haven't seen her blog I suggest you check it out, it's wonderful. Not one to disappoint, I decided to answer the questions and pass it on to others who write inspirational and informative blogs.

1. I am an accounting major, but my dream job is to be an event and party planner. Right now I am on track to become either a certified public accountant or a certified financial planner, neither of which conjures up images of glamor and fun. I do enjoy the numbers and formulas that come with those professions, but what I really dream of is fabulous parties and events that I made happen. Not many people know this what I really want to do, ya'll can keep a secret right?

2. I love Tupperware!  I have mentioned this love in a few posts before but I have never publicly declared my love for the brightly colored plastic. I do enjoy the modern stuff, but the vintage stuff really makes my heart squeal with glee. Servalier bowls in shades of avocado, burnt orange, and harvest gold make me heart smile.  I have Cake takers, pie takers, cupcake carriers, Pick-a-delis, cereal blows, mustard and ketchup bottles, and much much more.

3. I HATE onions! Seriously, I loath the things. There is not a more vile, smelly, horrid tasting food on the planet.  The stench of onions is enough to send me running for cover. If I accidentally get one of those hell spawn in my mouth I will pitch a fit that could rival that of any child going through the terrible twos.  Keep the onions away and I promise to stay calm.

4. I love cheesy and/or tasteless TV shows. The worse the show is, the more I seem to like it. Is a Jersey Shore marathon on? Sign me up! I can't get enough of shows like Cops, World's Wildest Police Videos, and dumb criminal shows. Extra points will be awarded if B list celebrities are hired to add their commentary to the show. I'll take Dog the Bounty Hunter, Real Housewives, or Rock of Love over any critically acclaimed drama. Well, with the exception of Mad Men, which might be the only show I watch that I should even admit to.

5. I love the oldies when it comes to music. Though I am in my 20's I don't own an Ipod, instead I have a good old fashioned record player. There happens to still be a record store where I live, even though it is at a flea market. The downside however, is that is is in a rather sleazy part of town, so I never venture there without at least one other person and my trusty pepper spray stashed in my pocket. I prefer the 80's when it comes to music, especially 80's "hair bands", though I do like some 70's music, including, gasp, some disco. My favorite band happens to be The Eagles, and I am happy to report that I own every single record they have released.

6. I have to actively stop myself from dressing like Joan Rivers.  My motto was is the more sparkle the better! I have never seen a garment that was sequined, sparkled, was glittery, or bedazzled that I didn't love at first sight. I once proudly brought home from the thrift store a black crew neck sweater that had multi-colored sequined bows on it, and proceeded to wear it to both a college class and Christmas Eve dinner. In hindsight, I probably looked like a fool, but I suppose it made me happy for the time being. Nowdays, I must ask myself, would Joan Rivers wear this? If the answer is yes, I must place it back on the thrift store rack and step away slowly.

7. I love estate sales, yard sales, and thrift stores. While this may not be so unexpected it is certainly true. I am not a morning person, but estate sales and yard sales are something that I will drag myself out of bed for. If you are patient and persistent there are some great deals and amazing retro goodies to be had. At one goldmine of a sale, I bought 12, yes 12, articles of vintage clothing from the 60's for only $3 a piece. I got 10 dresses, a vintage playsuit, and a lovely vintage jacket, which all happened to be in my size! To say it was the deal of the century would be a gross understatement.

Thanks again to Mary for passing the award on to me. Now it's my turn to pass the award on to seven lovely bloggers. If posting this sort of thing isn't really your cup of tea don't worry I won't be upset in the slightest if you don't fill it out.  It's all for fun anyways.

I nominate the following lovely blogs, in no particular order. ( I am not sure I know everyone's name so forgive me if I don't get your actual name exactly right.)
1. Allie from Ice Pink Stars
2. JillyBe from JillyBeJoyful
3. Meg from Meg the Grand
4. Justine from Sew Country Chick
5. Dfr from Sewing Miss Adventure
6. Heather from Sewing on Pins
7. Ashley from Refurl Sewing

In other sewing related news, I should have another apron to show the blogging world tomorrow. I would have had it done tonight had I not had to spend so much quality time with my seam ripper today.

Happy Sewing!

Spring Inspiration with some Fabulous Dresses!

Earlier this week my aunt sent me a link to the Lily Pulitzer website. Oh my goodness gracious! When you click that link, and I know you will, your eyes are in for a delicious treat of absolutely precious spring and summer dresses. Since seeing them for the fist time the other day my mind seems to always be wandering from the task at hand to that gorgeous collection of dresses. Luckily for those of us who know how to sew, some of the styles could easily be recreated with the help of out trusty sewing machines. Given the prices of these dresses, the only way I will be getting one is if it comes off my sewing machine. I have been exploring the internet in hopes of finding some similar fabric. It seems that Amy Butler has quite a few fabrics that, while not exact, are very similar to the Lily Pulitzer collection. Granted, the Any Butler fabric is quilting cotton, but with the right pattern that doesn't need a lot of drape I don't really see a problem with using quilter's cotton.

Here are my picks that have my mouth watering just looking at them. Well, maybe my mouth is watering because it's dinner time and I'm hungry. Well, either way take a look at this collection of fabulousness.


1. Wouldn't this dress be so adorable for a summer picnic? Perhaps I'd be a tad overdressed if I did wear it to a picnic, but since I plan of being as gaudy and over the top as Joan Rivers when I'm 70 I think I could use the practice.  $148

2. Next up is another great summer dress. This dress might be a bit hard to recreate in quilter's cotton because the original is in silk jersey. Nonetheless, it is still cute.

3. Here is another lovely number. I adore the print of this dress and it seems to turn up frequently throughout all the garments. I think a dress like this could work with a quilter's cotton. $248

4. I love yellow, and this dress fits the bill perfectly. The bill that would ensue from ordering this dress however would not be so perfect. $198

5. I love this little dress! A dress that looks like a perfectly pink cloud of cotton candy? Where do I sign up? $228

6. A cute summer dress with sleeves is hard to come by, but this one would certainly fit the bill. While I have nothing against showing my arms, and I wear a lot of sleeveless in the summer, some occasions really do call for a dress that covers your arms. Sadly, I have not found any similar fabric to recreate this one at home. $148

7. For some reason this dress makes me think of Woodstock, free love, and flower children. My generation will never experience these things but that won't stop me from dressing like I am. $278

8. The eye candy just keeps on coming! I need need need one of these and I think it could be recreated. $268

9. This dress is retro mod inspired fabulosity at it's best! I want one! Actually, I want one of all of them. $178

10. I love the lace embellishments that some many of these dresses have, and this one is no exception. Despite the fact that I currently have hundreds of yards of lace in mu closet I have been scouring Etsy for the perfect lace to recreate these dresses. $268

11. Now, for my favorite dress in the entire collection. Lately, it seems that I cannot get enough navy, so naturally this dress and I experienced love at first sight. It really is perfect with the exception of that pesky little price tag. $278

Here are the fabrics that I have found that could be used to make some similar dresses.

1. Amy Butler rose fabric. $8.98/yd

2. Another Amy Butler rose print in a slightly different shade. $8.98/yd

3. This fabric is similar to the second dress in the lineup. $8.98/yd

 Hopefully this weekend I will have time to look on a few more websites for more fabric that would work.

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on the dresses. Do you love 'em or hate 'em? Happy sewing and have a wonderful weekend!