Even with my modifications, I can’t say with any amount of honesty I am thrilled with this dress. It’s cute. I’ll wear it in the garden and around the house. I might even wear it to the farmers market. Once it gets worn in and the seams and fabric relax a bit, I might like it more, but it doesn’t hang quite right at the moment. It’s not the fault of the sewing. It’s the fault of the pattern. I fixed what I could, but there’s only so much that can be done when a pattern isn’t good. Glad I only paid $2 for it and didn’t buy new material to make it with. As it is, since it didn’t cost me anything much to make, I’ll say I am pleased with the outcome. It’ll do for what I wanted a new dress for (i.e. puttering around in).

Notice how the back tie has been brought around to tie in the front? That’s because without doing that, it makes me look boobless, pregnant, and fat. I didn’t think it was possible for any clothing to make me look boobless, pregnant, and fat, seeing as I am not boobless, pregnant, or fat, but it did. Boy, did it. I had to put on one of my hoochie-mama dresses and look in the mirror to be sure it was the dress and not reality. For a few minutes there, I thought I’d have to add a few more hours to my usual workout schedule.

But this is only one of the six styles of dress in the pattern, and it was the one with the loosest fit. I may make one of the other ones at some point. Or not. Not for a while anyway. I want to make the capri pants from the other pattern, as soon as I decide what fabric to use, and I’ll be more careful about fitting the pattern rather than relying on the measurements it gives me on that one. I made this dress one size smaller than they suggested for my measurements, and I should have had to squeeze my upper half into it. This did not turn out to be the case. So … I’ll be going for an even smaller size next time. Measurements be damned.

Incidentally, the thing I made with this material 15 years ago when I originally bought it was a sundress as well. I also hated it when I first made it, because it was also somewhat too frumpy and I thought it made me look boobless, pregnant, and fat. Eventually became one of my favorite dresses, and I mourned the day it was stained beyond repair by a leaking pen. So … there’s hope I will eventually be crazy about this one too. No matter what I think of it, Lin is going to hate it. It’s not hoochie-mama enough for his tastes.

And as poorly designed as the pattern turned out to be, don’t even get me started on the instructions. I don’t tend to read them, because I have umpteen gazillion hours of sewing experience and know how to put together clothing. There was a point where I got confused about what the pattern marks were telling me, so I got out the instructions. Utter garbage, and they cleared up nothing at all. In fact, they seemed to have been written by someone who hadn’t actually sewn the pattern … or maybe someone who didn’t even know how to sew at all. I can see why so many people get disgruntled with sewing their own clothing and give up. If a person isn’t going into with a lifetime of sewing experience (to fix mistakes in the pattern and not needing good instructions), stuff like this would make them never want to sew again. Luckily, I realize it’s the pattern and not my sewing, but a new sewer isn’t going to know that.

Oh well … I had fun making it, and it will get plenty of wear out in the yard. This weekend’s project is therefore declared a success!

Now to go putter in the yard in my new dress until Lin gets home from work.