Swimming in a sea of polka dots

I've had the fabric hanging around for another version of the DKNY Vogue dress and I finally got it cut out a couple of nights ago. I love that pattern more and more each time I use it, and this version I'm pretty sure is my favorite. I still have to let the hem hang for a day or so before I can finish the whole thing, but I'll have finished pictures posted soon.

There is also a sash for this one, but I like the way the dress fits better with a separate sash versus the attached one. I also like being able to wear belts with it instead. It makes it a bit more versatile. I omitted the pockets in this version, so they wouldn't show through the light fabric.

Now, after getting all three of these dresses cut out and realizing how much fabric I had left from each one I decided to try and whip up a top from the scraps. That top quickly turned into much more. I began by adapting the top of this dress to make a '50s inspired wrap top; something I can wear with my new pants or my black 1949 shorts, etcetera. I lengthened the bodice by about two inches and improvised ties.  Overall I'm really happy with how it came out, since it was all essentially a make-it-up-as-you-go type of project.

I still had quite a bit of fabric left though....hmmm....what to do. I'd been thinking about the images of 1930s beach ensembles that I'd been digging through for the last little bit and remembered how much I like the simple, wide-leg trousers and low-cut tank top look that pops up so often. So here's what happened.

I used the tank top I had been wearing all morning as a pattern. It's far from perfect, but for an off-the-cuff experiment I think it turned out pretty well, and it's super comfortable. I think I could live in this outfit for a large part of the year; plus it used up some more big scraps.

Nevertheless, I still had a few decent sized pieces that I just couldn't bear to part with. What to do? Why not make a pattern from my favorite pair of underwear and make some more that fit the same way?!

So one dress, two tops and three pairs of underwear later I have finally used up an acceptable amount of fabric, minimizing trash. I have to wait for my foldover elastic to get here to finish these, but that'll be a quick and easy project to finish up in a week or so.



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This is the finished dress.