Miss Violet Is A Natural: Darling Ranges Dress

Last week, Mena chose a technique for the Sew Weekly challenge - buttons! This was lucky, as I already had another Darling Ranges Dress cut out on my sewing table. A little gathering and a lot of buttonholes later, it was done!

Like my first iteration, this is such a comfortable dress! Unfortunately, unlike my first dress, this one is brown. I used a small scale floral cotton calico, bought from Fabric Mart during ye olde gigantic sale. Obviously, I have a hard time saying no to dirt-cheap fabrics. I don't even like brown. You wouldn't know that from my stash, however, or all the brown dresses I've made recently.

This is probably the least wearable one of the three. Though I love the dress design itself, the fabric is hard to pair up. There are four colors in the small floral print - the light cocoa background, ivory, an orangey tan (which I used for the buttons, as well) and an odd light blue/gray. There's something about the combination that limits outfit options. Brown tights work, a brown belt works, but I've only had success with mustard shoes and, you guessed it, brown shoes. So much brown! 

As for little details, the buttons are made from tan leather and - miraculously - washable. I really love them! They bring out the other colors in the dress well, without shouting their presence. The buttonholes themselves are machine-done, as I am a lazy, lazy sewist. Per the pattern directions, the neckline is finished with bias tape (ivory) and the sleeves are elasticized. Comfy! It's also super roomy, as I forgot about the post-FBA narrow waist adjustment I did last time. One can't tell when it's belted, however, so it just makes the dress that much more easy-to-wear. If you're looking for more construction details and tips, check out my original Darling Ranges blog post.

 

Fabric Used: Cotton calico from Fabric Mart - $1.99/yard

Notions: 15 leather buttons, from Hancock Fabrics, and self-made ivory bias tape.

Time to Complete: 6 hours, thank you buttons!

First worn: January 17, 2012

Wear again: Yes, if I can mitigate that vast sea of brown a bit more!
Total Price: $12