Not Quick Takes

I know it is Friday, and I should be doing Quick Takes, but I just don't have anything much today.  So you get another sewing make.

Remember how I said my New England dresses weren't working well for me?  And that I made them both into skirts?  And then added a blouse to the red one to make a faux dress?  I intended the same for the blue one, but just got around to it two weeks ago.  (I actually did something similar to my Hello Birdie Dress, but haven't gotten around to photographing it, even though I've worn it)

I finished the blouse in about an hour, but I had ordered buttons from an etsy seller, and they took a long time to ship, so I didn't actually finish it until earlier this week, since I had buttonholes to work and buttons to sew on.

(By the by, lately I'm working buttonholes with DMC embroidery thread, and I like the results a lot better than silk buttonhole twist.  I know that is sort of scandalous to say, but there it is.  Plus DMC is a lot cheaper and easier to color match.  But I digress)  Now it is done, and I'm pretty pleased!  I was trying to color and style match the belt buckle, and I'm pretty pleased with how well they work together.

The buttons are gorgeous--I couldn't get a great photograph of them but you can get the idea anyway.  The are 1940s French buttons with a lovely weight to them and carved deco detailing on the top.  The buckle was one I picked up in a lot from an etsy seller several months back.  They both have a sort of triangular/diamond shape thing going on.

The original buckle I put with this dress just did nothing for it.  It was a great color match, but the butterscotch really dulled the pattern down, and the red really pops, which I like better.

I also fixed the facing on this version, so I think the pattern doesn't need any more tweaks unless I want to add the back darts back in (the original Portrait blouse pattern has a lot of shaping but needs a side zipper, and I left all but the bust darts off the pullover version.  I've added back in the front waist darts to the button down, and might add the back darts in on a future iteration, but I needed this to be not-hot for summer).

I paired the dress with an old Acorn and Will brooch--a nicely carved resin owl.  Some of the flowers in the dress are off-white, so it works nicely as an accent.

I like that I essentially get four outfits for the price of one with the faux dress, as the top goes with at least three different bottoms, and the bottom goes with a couple of different tops, and I can swap out the fabric belt for a few different ones that look nice.  Plus it seems to resist wrinkles pretty well for something that is 100% cotton.

Plus: mustard shoes.  Win.

I think I'm fast coming to the conclusion that I'm allergic to sunscreen.  Which is bad news given my complexion.  So that is why my cheeks and nose are a leetle bit pink.  Mostly I try to stay indoors during the summer anyway.

Coordinating pedicure!

Happy Friday!