It has Pocketses

 I should probably title this post: Sometimes I Can't Help Myself.   

I've had this double gauze sitting on my shelf, prewashed and waiting since about May.  I had originally thought to make it for summer, but then felt that it would work better with my fall palette.  There are always about 5-6 weeks of yucky heat in the first part of my fall rotation, so I like to have a few summer weight dresses in fall colors in my fall.  I originally bought the fabric to make a Pearl Shift dress, but gave up that dream after the disaster that was the first try with a different fabric.  I also worried about finishing since double gauze does need a lot of seam finishes and the Pearl has set in sleeves that need clipping on the curves.  I've seen it made in double gauze (which gave me the idea in the first place) but the maker had Frenched all the seams.  Um, no.  Just...no.  

So I decided to go ahead and make another Dottie Angel instead, since I decided I wanted to wear it this month and use it as a kind of transitional dress.  I'm kind of sick of my summer clothes at this point, and was eager for something new.  If it ain't broke, I guess...

I went with patch pockets because I discovered on the Blue Forest dress that double gauze+kanga pocket just do not play well together.  The kanga pocket stitching pulled in weird ways after washing, and the pocket had sad saggage.  So I ended up pulling it off after we got back to the States and swapping out patch pockets (photos at the bottom of this post).

Nothing to note about construction except that I added a tiny bit of length, as I'm kind of digging the mid-ankle length right now.  The hem is slightly wonky owing to the shiftiness of gauze, but it isn't too bad.  

I also didn't clip my undersleeve edge to make finishing on the inside easier.  I think it will be less fray-prone as a result and the double gauze is stretchy enough to be forgiving without clipping.  I'm trying it on a few other fabrics that have a lot of give to see how it holds up over time.

I worried that the color wasn't going to do me any favors, but I got a lot of compliments the day I wore it (including from my husband, who is generally oblivious to my appearance).  So I guess it does suit me!  I think it will look nice with a navy cardigan and boots once the weather cools.

Double gauze is incredibly soft--I wish I could let you pet the fabric.  It is so nice against the skin.

  

Not much else to say--a good dress.  I did decide to try another dress pattern in the fall (in addition to the Sew House 7 Tea Dress) called the Summer Jazz dress.  It is from an independent outfit called Snapdragon Studios and I found them by accident on etsy.  It is a great little pattern and includes long sleeves, which I'm eager to try in a woven fabric.  I'm feeling the need for some small sartorial changes.  And a lot of clearing out.

The shoes are a good match and keep my neuroma mostly happy.  I'm supposed to have a guided injection with ultrasound in a few weeks since the first one didn't take.  In the meantime, it feels like there are rocks and broken glass inside my foot, so that is fun.  

And here is the pocket swap on the Blue Forest dress:

I do like it a lot better now.  The wonk of the kanga pocket really got to me, especially since it was in my direct eye line when I was sitting down.  

And for a little domestic stuff, Birdie has been playing with Wiki Stix during quiet time the last few days (seriously, these things are the best) and making pictures of the family.  She told me this was me and my husband (I'm the pink one with yellow hair and he is orange with green features, including a small green beard).  She wanted me to take a picture.  Yesterday she made a whole family tableaux.  It is so hard to keep her amused for long; I'm so glad she likes playing with these for now!

I watched the Hollow Crown three-part arc of Henry IV Parts I and II and Henry V and they are Magnificent.  Tom Hiddleston is amazing in them.  The production values are very high, and the casting is superb.  It is like a who's who of Shakespearean-trained British actors.  I showed the "once more into the breech dear friends!" speech to the kids the other day and they loved it.  I plan to watch season 2 to see Benedict Cumberbatch tear it up during the Wars of the Roses.  I used to have a pretty intense Shakespeare thing in college, and I realized recently that I've lost that over the years.  It feels good to get back to these plays and Shakespeare's work.

I'm listening to Florence and the Machine today and generally feeling pretty good.  I've gotten a ton of writing done this week (I've started to transcribe all the handwritten stuff I've been working on this summer onto a Word file and reworking some of the earlier scenes to reflect the changes I've made as time has gone on and the storyline has become clearer.  It is enormously satisfying).  I'm glad I've done all the initial writing by hand this time, as I'm finding it more portable and also a return to the way I used write.  I still have a lot of work to do on it, but it feels like it is time to start putting flesh on the bones.