Fade to Blue

I post this dress under the "keeping it real" category--the heat and humidity finally broke after a torrential rain storm all day yesterday and I'm very grateful, but the bright light is definitely less than optimal for taking photographs!  Plus, I still have a flag growing out of my head because I don't know how to edit it out.  Also: my hair is having a freak out today because the humidity is so much lower.  Cie la vie.  

This is the blue seersucker dress I showed briefly in my Project 333 post.  It is exactly like the green one except I did a better job on the inseam pockets--I've done several dresses with them now, and I get a little better at it with each iteration.  I also think that the blue colorway of this fabric is a bit lighter in weight than the green, so it handled a little differently while sewing.  In any case, I'm pleased with it.  

I'm hoping to try some different accessory combinations (red!) soon, but today felt like a blue day, so I went with a blue and silver pendant necklace and silver bell earrings.  I've had the pendant since childhood (probably a gift from one of my dad's sisters at some point, if I had to guess) and recently bought a silver chain to put it on.  

I got the Salt Water sandals for my birthday last year, and I have to say, I didn't love them last year--they seemed to fit a little strangely, and I wasn't happy with how flat they are.  I have super high arches, and really flat shoes are not always kind to my feet.  I discovered this year, however, that they are wonderful water shoes, since you can get them wet without damage, and my old flip flops were deader than dead after ten years and needed to be replaced anyway. The Salt Waters also fit better after having been thoroughly soaked a few times.

With all the rain we've had this summer, I've been wearing the Salt Waters a lot more, and they have really grown on me!  I've been going to physical therapy for my feet this spring and summer, and I seem to be tolerating the flat soles much better.  Maybe I'll get a red pair at some point.

Not much to say about this dress--I did do the bias contrast on the sleeves a little differently on the this one.  On the green dress, I didn't really know what I was doing, and ended up having to hand stitch the bias to the outside of the sleeves, which is fine, but not quite as neat as doing it to the inside.  This time I was more confident in my process and put them on just like my regular bias tape application, and it worked just fine.   I also machine stitched the neckline and hem, because I made this during a particularly hot and humid stretch of days last week and I just couldn't bear to deal with hand sewing it all down.  I used a stretch needle on the machine to help with the high percentage of mechanical stretch in the fabric.

I do have an obi-belt cut out for this dress and the green one, but can't muster the energy or interest to finish them.  Ditto for a self-sash.  Accessories for next summer, I suppose.  

And a funny for your Thursday morning; the boys are in French camp this month, and for Bastille Day, they made these frog faces out of apples, marshmallows, grapes, and chocolate chips.  My husband picked them up from camp that day to take them to swimming lessons, and dropped the frogs off at home without my knowing.  So this was my view when I opened the fridge to start making dinner:

I admit, I laughed.

Outfit details:

Fade to Blue seersucker dress: me made

Silver heart necklace: gift given in childhood

Earrings: antique mall (but probably originally from 1942 Sears catalog)

Salt Water sandals: birthday gift last year

Belt: etsy