"I would like to thank my parents for never giving me a ride to school, the LA city bus driver who took a chance on an unknown kid, and last but not least, the wonderful crew from McDonalds who spend hours making those egg McMuffins without which I might never be tardy."

Hello, moppets! You may notice a change in my blog post nomenclature today--there's no Miss, unless of course you count the lovely Miss Roisin. Happy Sew Dolly Clackett Day! As a way of celebrating Roisin's impending nuptials to her wonderful Nic, the sewing community has spent the last two months emulating her fun style. 

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Roisin's. Not only does she use prints better than anyone, but Our Lady Clackett has the cutest shoes around. For my homage to the lovely Roisin, I grabbed my favorite pink pumps and the Out to Sea print from Sarah Jane, then made--of course!--a modified Anna dress. 

I have made the Anna dress quite a few times before, but this one is special. Not only did I add a wide, gathered skirt to the v-neck bodice, but I also embellished the Sam Hill out of it. There is light blue piping on the neckline, the armholes, and the patch pockets. THAT'S RIGHT, THE PATCH POCKETS. I added, then piped, patch pockets.

I'll let that bit of awesome sink in. 

Are your palpitations of amazement easing a bit? As the Queen of Quick Dresses, I may be just a bit too proud of myself for this feat, but whatever. I sewed perfect squares and basted them on three times, to find the perfect placement. There is effort and care here, y'all. My vow to embellish more things is still going strong! Wonders never cease. 

As with my last Anna, this one had my standard fitting alterations. The bodice was extended an inch, had a 1.5'' FBA, and a small-waist adjustment. Thanks to the blousy drape of this fabric, the waist is still a little big, which I'll probably fix at some point. Loose dresses are great for summer, but waists that shift about drive my crazy!

Let's talk about this fabric, though, shall we? Sailing across the navy blue expanse of cotton are dozens of schooners and sloops. In the colorway I chose, these boats are illustrated in light blue, hot pink, and sunny yellow. This fabric is really high quality for a quilting cotton, with a drape and weight similar to a nice poplin. It's super comfortable against the skin and holds the skirt shape beautifully! No wonder Roisin uses Michael Miller prints so often, if this is the sort of fabric they come in. It's certainly not the stiff quilting cotton of JoAnn's!

The details...

 Things I Loved:

• The Fabric! This is such a fun print to wear.
• The shape! The Anna bodice paired with a gathered skirt remains one of my favorite silhouettes.

Things I Changed:

• 1.5'' FBA
• Lengthened bodice by 1''
• Hand-picked zipper
• Small-waist adjustment
• Added a gathered skirt

Notions & Fabric:

• 3 yards of light blue piping
• 3 yards of "Out to Sea" by Sarah Jane for Michael Miller
• 22'' navy zipper

In the end, this is such a fun, wearable dress. Even better, it's a tribute to one of the coolest sewing bloggers out there! Sending you good wishes, Roisin and Nic! 

Note: The quote in the title not only references the late nature of my entry, compared to the challenge's time frame, but it's also from one of the only movies I can actively quote."You see how picky I am about my shoes and they only go on my feet!"

This photo is ridiculous, but I had to include it, because it is also hilarious. Apparently, this dress makes me want to swish!