I made a strapless dress! I was going for a sort of Bettie-Page-meets-Cyndi-Lauper vibe and I was going to call it my Girl’s Just Wanna Have Fun Dress, since the bodice triangle print is 80s to the max, but Outfoxed Strapless is more descriptive.  I can still name some future creation after one of the totally bestest movies that I ever saw during third grade.  I used Lizzy House’s Outfoxed and Art Gallery’s Pure Elements in this dress. I like the fabric that Andover prints on well enough, but Art Gallery’s greige goods are so dense and fine and just great for clothing.  Love that stuff.  I saw recently that they’re going to be printing on voile as well.  Yum.  Also, there is boning. Sew-in boning is the key to keeping your strapless dress at legal levels. This stuff works like a charm and, whaddya know, we sell it at the shop!

One should not underestimate the importance of a good strapless bra, of course. I have a couple by Lepel that I purchased from Fig Leaves which stay up well.

I used the Butterick pattern that I made my wedding dress from for the top and just some plain ol’ rectangles for the dirndl skirt.  I think I should have made it a little fuller, but it still looks pretty good.

Hey! I’m tough! Well, at least I look that way thanks to Instagram’s Brannan filter.

Here I am making new friends at the SoWa Open Market. Don’t worry, Spindle, you’re still the pup who owns my heart.

I have another strapless dress in the works and after I finish I’ll either start a cotton lawn Hazel by Colette or a sateen Cambie by Sewaholic. Though I might sneak in a Scout or Sorbetto with the new Robert Kaufman lawns we’re getting. Three arrived today and I can’t stop touching them! They’re apparently printed on the same fabric that the hallowed Liberty Tana lawn is, but more than $20 cheaper a yard. Yes, please!

ttfn, sewists.