As part of the inspirational high I am on post-Denyse, I finally got around to making the Mendocino Sundress from Heather Ross. I used Laura Gunn’s Lantern Bloom fabric that I bought on sale at the Fabric Depot while in Portland.
I totally had dresses like this when I was a kid in the 70′s. And I love this one. It’s great! And it was super easy and quick to do, even though I had never done the shirring before. I am definitely recommending this pattern. One note — I typically wear a size 2, so I made the XS (which should have fit down to a size 0). There is NO WAY this is staying up without the straps. I’m just saying. If you are smallish and want to do a strapless version, be prepared to take it in.
Also for all you Bay Area peeps or anyone visiting the Bay Area, I finally made it over to The Bobbin’s Nest in Santa Clara today. Man, this is a really cute store! They do both knitting/crochet and sewing, so there isn’t a lot of stuff for any one thing. But all the sewing stuff is fabulous. Not a lot of fabric, but not a bad bolt in the bunch. They had probably every cool book I’ve seen talked about on the web in the last year, Sublime Stitching patterns (though heavy on the cats and not enough sushi/chinatown/Dia De los Muertos for me), and Oliver + S patterns. I wanted pretty much everything in there. I didn’t buy anything today, but I’ll definitely be back!
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I absolutely love that dress!! The fabric is FANTABULOUS!!! Love it!
I was actually thinking to myself today that I ought to make this dress! Thanks for the tip about the straps and sizing
I made one too!!!
http://www.tifakerbal.com/blog/2009/5/20/summer-dress.html
Love your fabric!
<3
the dress is super cute! did you use a steam iron on the right side of the shirring to shrink it up? that is absolutely key. it will also shrink more the first time you put it in the dryer.
also – every time i come to your blog, there is some script that slooooooows the loading down. don’t know if it is on my end, but thought i would tell you nonetheless. happy weekend!
I agree with erin, the steam iron definitely helps a lot with the dress sizing. I made mine out of a rectangle that wrapped around me twice and it shrunk down enough so I can wear it without straps.
I’m so glad you liked the bobbin’s nest. I’m planning on going for the first time tomorrow to catch the Amy Butler trunk show!
Love the dress. It looks lovely on you. Glad you made it to the Bobbins Nest and posted about it on you blog. Our “local” stores need all the help they can get.
Very cute dress! The tips on the shirring are great. I am planning to make the dress also so very helpful.
That fabric works great for that dress! Very cute!
Oh.My.Gosh! I can’t believe how adorable this dress is! And it looks fabulous on you. What a fun project! Great choice with the fabric too.
I LOVE it!! I confess that is my favorite fabric of the whole collection. Love the dress. Love the photo.