5.29.2013

polka dots and crescent moons


oh hai!  do you like my megan neilson crescent blouse?


because i made it into a dress.


YEAH I DID!!!

spring seemed to overflow with opportunities to share-in & shout-about sewists' offspring.  lemme break it down: nikki's booktilly's skirtsuperheroine missionstempest's sewalongheather's sew bossy, but still, when megan put out the call for pattern testers for her stunning breakwater collection, i couldn't tweet fast enough.  i was honored to test the absolutely delicious crescent blouse and one more bit of good goddy goodness i'll show you later on....and let me tell ya, these patterns are DELIGHTFUL.  in fact, they're so good, i felt my first try at the crescent didn't do it near enough justice, so i immediately made the sequel.  megan's tweaking advice in the back of the sa-weet pattern booklet suggested going for a dress.  ah yes, please, i could live in dresses.  Summer.  Is.  The.  BEST.


(well, fall is good too, it's ruggy's birthday season.  also winter, for christmas.  okay everything pretty much rocks except for that half-light-time right after valentine's day and before spring finally hits.  that time suckity suck sucks.)

i simply made the pattern as directed using only the bodice sections.  the sequel you see here is sans collar, but my first go has the sweetest little peter panner you ever saw.  unfortunately, my fabric choice made the collar the only good thing about that run.


to make the skirt portion, i used two very long rectangles of this floaty rayon from fabrics for less.  the owner sam and i marveled over the drape (and i marveled over the price.  you know sam?  sam rocks, he is the nicest man in the garment district.  just ask seam ripped).  

next, i sewed the rectangles together at side seams... the wrong side is very similar, so once i had my skirt tube, i folded the fabric to the inside down to slip length, sewed along that tube fold to create a waist "seam", and attached it at that seam to the bodice.  then i opened up the long side seams to just where the slip hits. 

instead of using elastic, i grabbed this extra leather buckle from my technicolor boucle jacket (or i should say, mommaballoona's boucle jacket, IT LOOKS AMAZING ON HER).  hand stitched them to the waist, and buckled her up...


she moves in the breeze with no worry of a peep show! 

(obviously these were taken in new york, before my secret agent journey to texas, and before spring decided to take a long nap in the east coast.  sending some warm breezy thoughts your way, ruggy...mwah.)

82 comments:

  1. Love it, Oona, you look great (as always).

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  2. It looks fantastic! I also could live in dresses for the summer or skirts. I have a love/hate relationship with sewing shorts... So anything but pants and shorts for me!

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    1. ah, shorts are my achilles heel as well. however.... megan has a culotte pattern out that i tested as well, and it's PERFECT (more on that soon).

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  3. I sew agree about the "half-light-time." My least fav time of the year! Cute top/dress morph. Summer + dresses = Bliss
    ~Teri

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  4. It's Gorge Oona, love the belt buckle detail too! your too Kool sometime (in a good way though :)

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  5. O.My.Gawd. I love the drape of that exquisite fabric, and those amazing cut out details! This dress is so perfectly YOU. Wonderful work, my dear!

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  6. Um, what, this is amazing! Now I want a Crescent dress!!!!!

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    1. you would rock a crescent dress. you have the technology...

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  7. Looks Like A Perfect Marriage Of Fabric AndDesign. great Dress!

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    1. thank you far! i gotta say, i'm still loving your font issues.

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  8. looove it! those shoulder cutouts are fabulous.. and the print is delicious, sis (like YOU could ever go wrong with print, hehe)

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  9. I just love it, and the details you added plus the print! What an awesome dress.

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  10. Oh. My. God. AMAZING. Those shoulder cut outs were made for your pretty shoulders.

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    1. aw, thank you karen! i call them my linebacker shoulders. never in need of a shoulderpad here.

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  11. Wow this is so gorgeous! As always :) All these beautiful crescent blouses that are out there. I really need to make mine! I have the pattern ready to go. Now to find the time. I love your variation!

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    1. ooh, you're gonna love it. don't choose doofy big buttons like i did :)

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  12. So fun! And if you were here today, you'd be wearing it. Summer has arrived.

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  13. This is so gorgeous! I love how you've made it into a dress and your fabric choices are always just so spot on!

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  14. Pfft Summer, not a fan. My thunder thighs feel happier during the less exposed seasons. :-) My heart belongs to Fall, pretty nature colors, crisp air, the best holiday ever (my birthday)*ahem. Hey doesn't Ruggy and I share a birthday or is it just around the concern from each other.

    Now let's talk about important things, like me steal that fabric. :-)
    Very cute dress. I have kind of been eye balling the culottes and the cascade skirt.

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    1. ah, fall babay! i think y'all are one day apart, if i recall...

      the culottes are an absolute godsend for us blessed with a derriere. i'll put mine up in the next week or so!

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    2. I must agree, my lady lumps did look good in culottes even when I was a youngster

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  15. Oh my. What an amazing dress! The fabric and the pattern are just made for each other. Loving the crescent moons.

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  16. Oh, I love this! Fantastic as usual!

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  17. I really love this without the Peter Pan collar- it makes the crescents the star of the show! Absolutely fab!!!

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    1. i went back and forth, because the collar looked sooooo nice on my first try, but with the proportion of the maxi i thought it might be off. i love your eucalyptus tank!!

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  18. Crap! First Sonja and now you!! I SO should have added this pattern to my cart!! I loooooooove your version. You ROCK the maxi, Miss!!!

    Wish I could see it in person! I have a sad that you're out of town :(

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    1. PEER PRESSURE, YO. we haz it.

      we'll have to rock a trio of megan neilson in august...

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  19. love the dress - the fabric is delicious!

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  20. So in love with this dress style and this print. Fabolous! - Nizzy

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  21. Great idea, great dress for your sunny days!

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  22. Nice creative solution to the crescent blouse pattern re-make! YAY!

    P.S. I love your ear-rings ^^^^^^^

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  23. Now she needs to redo that pattern so we all get a crescent dress!!!

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    1. ha! that's what i love about her tweak section, she tells you how to. ooh now i want a crescent bodice with a cascade skirt...

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  24. Gah, so adorable! You'll be the chicest woman in Dallas.

    Sam is the BEST. I've decided that the mustache is it. I suppose when someone looks like they could very plausibly be a(n awesome) silent film villain, the niceness just flows.

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  25. Love it! I actually like the look of it as a maxi more than I do as a blouse!

    And I agree, that half-light time sucks...my birthday unfortunately falls during it, and I still think it sucks! I think I'm a summer baby at heart.

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    1. any half light babies should get extra birthday time. like, a full month.

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  26. My favorite ever from you! The print, the buckle, your face!! LOVE!

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  27. This is so great! Love the shoulder cutouts - it just makes the whole shoulder / neckline look amazing! (the rest of the dress looks good too... lol) LOVE :)

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  28. ermagawd! This is so a perfect storm of fabric + pattern + oona juice. I love Megan's stuff but personally fear the peter pan collar (too twee?) but absolutely love this with just the shoulder cutouts. And in a maxi dress with that print?! In our world it' s called a "daily uniform".

    I want one.

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    1. i've been in uniform All. WEEK.

      you gotta try this pattern. i would love to see a kick ass heather lou version.

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  29. Of course you did. Of course you made a super awesome top into an even more super awesome dress. Stop acting like we're surprised, Oona. We're not ;) ...did you say Rayon?? I need more Rayon in my life!

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    1. RAYON RULES! for real. i've got some more rayon love coming for you soon...

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  30. I tried to leave a message earlier via Facebook and it hung...too long...but so keen am I to regale your dress with showers of adoration I've come back. Oona, I would never have imagined this top as a dress and it is as perfecto as the fabric you've chosen. We all need cut out shoulders, even if only one dress I've decided!!

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    1. ah! you braved the swamp of social media for me? that's saying something. for reals. i usually throw my hands up in the air and walk away. yes, as a rule, you must have at least one cut out shoulder garment. you just feel fun when it's on (and as you are Fun Personified, i do believe this rule is golden for you).

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  31. If this isn't the perfect Oonaballoona dress, then I don't know what is! L O V E :)

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  32. Holy moly I want this dress! It's absolutely perfect: flowy and flattering, delicate but bold, classic with an edge...absolutely gorgeous!

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    1. thank you, i was surprised to find some edge in it, i think the peter pan collar really gives a whole different vibe. HOORAY for patterns with options!

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  33. Love that maxi dress!! So cute and perfect for summer!

    xox

    http://thattallgirlinheels.com

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  34. Faaantastic! Fabric, dress, buckle - perfection!

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  35. Oooh! There are half-moons on the fabric, too!
    Must be breezy - nice for summer!

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    1. um, i didn't notice that until you said it. HA! i was just thinking of the shoulder cut outs! nice detective work.

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  36. You would pattern test a shirt as a dress! I wasn't crazy about this pattern as a top. But as a dress? YEAH! Love it! It looks great on you, and that fabric is wonderfully colorfully awesome :)

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  37. Pure genius! So summery and fun. Great job on the pattern modification! I have been enjoying seeing you on Nurse Jackie!

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  38. I briefly glanced at Ms. Neilson's new pattern collection and the only thing I really didn't like was this blouse. But, as a dress, and in a colourful print like this?! Uhm, think you converted me. :)

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  39. I love this dress so much!! At first look I just thought you were wearing a belt, but when I read how you did the buckle- genius!! Very cool, makes me take another look at this pattern. And thank you so much for the nice comment on my Cascade skirt, you made my day!!

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  40. I'm so sorry that I missed this deliciousness! What a great idea to turn this top into a dress! Love this!

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  41. WOW! What a great dress~! And this print!

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  42. What a lovely dress! I'm in love!

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i thankya truly for taking the time to comment, i love a good conversation-- and hope you know my thanks are always implied, if not always written!