Saturday, April 16, 2011

The value of being a sewer

Remember this dress (Butterick 5030)? More details about it here.



I absolutely LOVED this dress when I made it. I intended the dress to be a business dress. The first time I wore it I received multiple very nice compliments. But the second time, something weird happened. Not one but two different random strangers (men) in an airport made similar comments along the lines of, "Wow, that's a BOLD dress." I don't think they meant it to be an insult but I started to second guess my judgment about the appropriateness of the dress in a business setting. As a result, I let the dress sit in my closet for over two years.

Well fast forward to a few weeks ago. I happened across the dress and showed it to the man. His reaction: "Wow, that is HOT!" So I figured I needed to take Ms. Flower Power out of hiding and transform it from a business dress to a date dress.

When I tried it on, somehow the dress appeared to have shrunk [cough, cough] after sitting in the closet for two years. Since the dress only has a snap closure, I shifted the snaps a wee bit farther apart. Of course, that lowered where the bodice crossed and it now requires a cami underneath. No big deal. I also thought it exuded more of a springy-summery vibe so I decided to change the sleeves. I considered sleeveless but these days, I'm more comfortable with something covering the top of my arms so I went with a short sleeve. I also considered removing the collar but took the lazy way out and left it on.

VOILA! The results:



I wore it last night for a wonderful date night. We went to Bayfront Bistro in Fort Myers Beach. I highly recommend this restaurant. Drinks were excellent; food was wonderful; view was spectacular; and overall evening was definitely one to remember.

7 comments:

Faye Lewis said...

The dress does take on a completely different character with short sleeves. That's amazing in itself, and it is an amazingly pretty dress.

SissySees said...

THAT is the kind of transformation that inspires me. I don't know that I would ever make a dress for myself, but changing sleeves and moving snaps? Hmmm...

SissySees said...

THAT is the kind of transformation that inspires me. I don't know that I would ever make a dress for myself, but changing sleeves and moving snaps? Hmmm...

gMarie said...

I do love that dress - I bought the pattern and cut it out right after you made it. I still haven't sewn it up - pretty sure it's shrunk in the plastic bag it's living in. :) g

Lori said...

That is a nice transformation. I tis a very pretty dress.

Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) said...

This is a great update to a favored dress! You look lovely in it!

Anonymous said...

Hiya, great transformation and now you'll get use out of a great creation. Lady Di used to have her dresses 're-modelled' such as sleeve changes and such to make her wardrobe go further.
Fab.
Lesley