~wiws~ Boxcar Dress

Linking with FLAP for What I Wore Sunday.

This is the last of the projects I finished over the long Papal visit weekend: the Boxcar dress.  It was actually one of the first things I completed, as I had been working on bodice muslins before the break in anticipation of cutting into this fabric.

The fabric is another fabulous cotton from Cotton+Steel (long may they prosper).  I fell in love with the pattern and colors way back in the spring, but decided to wait to purchase it until the fall, as I thought the overall scheme seemed more fall-like to me.  I'm really glad I did, because the Green Cookie Book dress really informed how I made this dress. 

The changes I made were the same as to the green dress: I took the seam allowance out of the back bodice since the zip is now going into the side seam, and I made the waist seam allowance 3/4" that I then stitched down to make a casing.  I put in a strip of elastic to cinch the waist and fit the fullness of the skirt better. 

 I cut the skirt to 27" and cut the pockets on the diagonal to put the button treatment on them.  I had two different button options for this dress, and they were super similar in color and size, but I had eight of these and six of the other.  I dithered quite a bit, looked at them in different lights, at different times of day...in the end, I went with the eight button option, and I like it!  

It is hard to tell in the photos, but the fabric has a very subtle coral color in some of the pattern, which gives the whole dress a purpleish cast.  I think it really supposed to be navy and rust with the coral, but it reads purple to me.  It goes perfectly with my rust-colored cardigan, and I think will coordinate nicely with a heavier weight coral one I have for winter.

The 1933 neck cowl is the perfect accessory for this dress.  It warms it up nicely, as the temps have really dropped in the last three days, and doesn't overwhelm my face.  Scarves are tricky for me since my neck is so short.  I'm considering making another one of these in a different color and stitch pattern, just to have another accessory option in my closet.

I've sung the praises of Japanese cotton before, but I really can't say enough good things about it.  It is so soft (and gets softer with each washing) and has such a nice drape.  It doesn't need a lot of ironing after being sewn up, and wears really well across a variety of temperatures.

I wish I had finished this dress sooner, as it would have been wonderful to wear in the early September heat!

I've decided not to mess with my frankenpattern bodice.  Adding the waist elastic has really fixed the issues I was having with it, and I'm super happy with the comfort, arm ease, and general fit now.  We'll see how I feel if I keep losing weight, but for now, I'm content.

The trick with the waist elastic is to make it cinch a little, but not too much.  I find having about 6-9" of stretch is about right.  The elastic I'm using is pretty soft, so I think that helps too.

The buttons are more coral than orange; I found them in a clearance button bin at a quirky shop on Fabric Row.  I think I paid all of $2 for the eight buttons (they are vintage--apparently someone just dropped off all these sewing notions at the shop and they were selling them for pennies in a big plastic bin by the register.  I still wish I'd taken a bit more time to dig through the buttons!)

Just the facts:

Boxcar dress: Boxer fabric from Cotton+Steel, Emery bodice (heavily modified), McCall's 4275 skirt, Hollyburn pocket (modified), elastic, bias tape, vintage buttons, 9" zip

JCrew Jackie cardigan: ThredUp

1933 Asymmetric Cowl: me made

Earrings: etsy

Tights: Foot Traffic via Sock Dreams

Boots: Modcloth