Behold, a frock!
I sewed my way through the NBC coverage of the Kentucky Derby this afternoon and have a new frock to show for it. Wanna see?
I used this tutorial from the gals at Presser Foot (read the March archives for the full instructions) and I’m pretty pleased with the results. All the sewing was easy enough for a beginner like me, and there were no hiccups except for that minor roadblock with Signy Husqvarna’s stitch width limitation.
Whoops, should’ve tied that belt a little tighter.
And this is what almost 26 weeks of Minnow looks like, for the record. It made me a little goggle-eyed to realize the other day that if 26 + x = 40, x must be equal to 14. That’s 14 weeks left of just me + Mr. Garter. Not very many at all, and Minnow could even come early. So we seized the day, lit a fire under our own derrieres, and went out to dinner at Toro Bravo, a tasty Spanish-influenced restaurant that our neighbors have been raving about for a year. (It’s right near the hospital where we’ll be delivering, actually. My thoughtful husband offered to trot over and fetch take-out if either of us should feel peckish at a critical moment. Maybe after the baby’s out, honey.) Anyway, I think I could eat bread fried in garlicky olive oil and topped with fromage blanc and sautéed nettles every day.
But I digress. Back to the frock:
I bought this nice linen at Bolt — it felt so soft and cool and summery. But what I really liked about it was its unexpected pretty blue selvage. I know you’re supposed to cut off and discard the selvage, but I couldn’t bear to do this. So I purposely left my selvages a four-inch margin with the idea of using them in the belt and ruffles. Linen already has a bit of a rustic, homespun look, and I thought I’d just play this up by exposing the raw edges. And I’m jolly pleased it worked out as I’d imagined.
I built in some room to grow so I can keep wearing this little number for the next month or six weeks at least, I hope. Maybe the weather will even get warm enough that I can wear it without jeans and a shirt underneath…
Posted: May 2nd, 2010 at 5:27 am
Love the dress! You look completely adorable in it, and I think the blue selvage is a perfect touch. I actually thought you dyed the edges at first glance. Congrats on the growing bump!
Posted: May 2nd, 2010 at 6:04 am
That looks wonderful, and I like the way you incorporated the selvage, especially for the ruffle. You look radiant! Enjoy the next 14 weeks!
Posted: May 2nd, 2010 at 6:43 am
It turned out so cute! Love the details at the neckline.
Posted: May 2nd, 2010 at 8:50 am
The dress looks awesome on you and I LOVE how you used the selvage… it’s the touch that really makes this dress thine. (I also love the quilting blocks you showed in the last post!)
Posted: May 2nd, 2010 at 9:26 am
I love it! Very elegant, and the blue selvage details are perfect!
Posted: May 2nd, 2010 at 9:53 am
you’re looking so great – and the dress is awesome. loving the blue trimmed detail.
Posted: May 2nd, 2010 at 1:05 pm
Adorable!! You’re looking fabulous, Sarah! The frock is lovely and I love the detail about keeping the blue selvadge. Great design choice-it really works!
Posted: May 3rd, 2010 at 1:20 am
Love the dress and she has a great way to change jeans. I must send a link to my daughter.
It’s interesting how different women carry.
You are very high my daughter is very low but she is not as far along as you so we’ll see if it changes.
Posted: May 3rd, 2010 at 8:41 am
If you were in Boston this weekend you would have been wearing it without the jeans and shirt. It was toasty! Something like that would have been super comfy.
Posted: May 3rd, 2010 at 9:36 am
Super-cute dress! I adore the rustic touch with the selvage strip – I’m really feeling the rustic vibe for Spring. Well done.
Posted: May 6th, 2010 at 5:46 am
You look ever so lovely in that frock, it’s absolutely perfect
Posted: May 8th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
You look so happy! I’ve told my mom the past two pregnancies (the oldest of 8, I am!) that she positively glows when she’s pregnant. She laughs at me, but it’s true! Moms are such beautiful people! (THE most beautiful people in the world, I think. Except for the kidlets. Oooh, that’s a tough call!)
Lovely dress, too!
Posted: May 13th, 2010 at 6:17 am
Oh my gosh…you look so beautiful!!! And I’m sending the belly hugs and kisses. We can’t wait to meet you Minnow.
Oh and the dress looks amazing too!!!