My Date Night Dress

Yesterday I blogged about wanting to sew something for myself. My husband and I made a last minute plan to have a date night to go to a movie and I immediately wondered what I would wear. We've been together about 17 years now, so clearly I still need to try to impress him. :)  As soon as I dropped the kids off at preschool I found my car heading in the direction of the fabric shop instead of the mall (because making something is more fun than buying something new sometimes). I LOVE fabric. I have to admit it is hard to find quality apparel fabric in my town so sometimes it is frustrating going up and down the aisles, but yesterday I was determined to find something! I felt everything in the store that caught my eye and I stayed away from polyester and poly blends. They do not iron well, look cheap and fray - not what I'm going for right now. I came across this awesome rayon print, grabbed a yard and a quarter and headed home to wash it!


You can see the dresses that inspired me here. I am attracted to prints and dresses that gather in at the waist because I tend to have a pretty straight figure, so any way I can add some curves I do.

I decided to make a halter style dress with one srap that I can tie into a bow and and toss over my shoulder towards the back. The little surprise about this dress is that I added POCKETS :) Who doesn't like pockets? I love them, but sometimes they can make a dress look too bulky in the hips depending on what material you use. This rayon material is soft and has a nice drape, so I went for it.

For visual interest (and to make it figure flattering) I added 3 rows of shirring under the bust.

Here are some pictures of it. Date night was a blast and my husband gave me the best compliment ever! He asked, "Is that new?" Which translated means, "Did you go shopping and not tell me?" I was so excited to tell him that I made it and I was so glad he noticed! (In the pictures I'm wearing sandals, but last night it was a little chilly so I wore it with tall brown boots and a shrug. Who doesn't want to add a versatile dress to their wardbrobe? I definitely do!)

What's your most favorite piece of clothing you have sewn for yourself? Happy Sewing everyone!