Spring for Cotton Dress

Christos Voskrese!  Happy Bright Week!!  We had a lovely Pascha celebration at our parish in New Jersey over the weekend, and are now basking the brightness of the Feast of Feasts!  The kids are crazy from being up all night on Saturday night/Sunday morning, and we are all a bit tired, but happy.  

For Palm Sunday weekend and much of Holy Week, however, I was on my own with the girls as my husband took the boys on a special trip to the monastery in California.  I did a ton of sewing to keep my mind and fingers occupied--I completed three dresses, two blouses (except for the buttons/holes), and got another dress, skirt, and blouse ready to sew.  

One of these was my Spring for Cotton dress.  It is another fabric from Penny Rose at Hawthorne Threads--the same designer as my Green Geometry dress.  I used my Frankenpattern, but modified the front bodice to have a faux shirt-style closure.  I did make a oopsie when I attached it to the skirt section (the flaps are lapped the wrong direction), but I didn't realize it until I was sewing on the buttons and by then I didn't want to undo it.  I did check it before attaching, but I guess I got mixed up at the pinning stage.  I guess if it really bothers me, I can unpick about an inch of the waist and redo the buttons, but honestly, I think it doesn't matter that much.  The fit of this dress makes me look longer-waisted than I am, but given how extremely short-waisted I actually am, it probably doesn't hurt.

I originally had all six buttons running down the front of the bodice, but it didn't quite look right, and after my Shelburne Falls dress, I decided I really liked the button treatment on the pockets, so I pulled off the buttons and put two on the pockets and realigned the four on the bodice.  

I also retrofitted the neckline as I omitted the back neck darts on the bodice, and the bodice fit really weird as a result.  (It is strange, because the last couple of dresses I've made I've left these darts off, but for some reason, this dress really needed them).  The fix isn't perfect, but it looks okay from the outside of the dress.  I'm not sure what is going on with the fit of the back bodice--probably has to do with the way I'm standing for the photo.

I'm working on a green cardigan that exactly matches the green of the flowers, but I think it won't be finished until next fall at the earliest.  In the meantime, I have a lighter weight green cardigan that goes with it, and this brown one works for cooler days.

It was so nice to pull these shoes out again--I really love them, and they are so comfortable.  I wore them for Pascha with a different dress and my feet felt fine at the end of the service!  (Anyone who has been Orthodox for a while will tell you that it is a supremely bad idea to wear new shoes to a Pascha service.  I've discovered this the hard way a few years running and finally got smart).  I like that I can wear them with or without stockings during this weird in-between weather we're having.

I think I've finally got my hair routine figured out with this hair cut--it only took me five months to get the hang of it!  (I know, I know!)  The basic trouble is getting the short layers around my face to behave themselves.  The thing about curly hair is that it tends to have a mind of its own, and sometimes it will play nicely with the other children, sometimes, not so much.

Outfit details:

Spring for Cotton dress: Penny Rose Hope Garden Floral in Red, Frankenpattern with Hollyburn pockets, vintage button/buckle card from the 1930s.

Earrings: bought in Ireland

Stockings: Foot Traffic cotton tights in Heather Mocha

Shoes: Danskos via ebay last summer