Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Signature Sewing Style


 handmade dress haven style

 Last week, I missed participating in week four of Project Run and Play because I was sick. I had a very bad ear infection. And, when your ear and jaw hurt and your eustachian tube is so congested you are a tad dizzy, sewing is not a good idea!  So, I put off sewing my signature style until this week.

And here it is!  My signature style is floral, ruffly, very feminine, basically a dress that looks like a walking flower garden.  Since I was a little girl, this has always been my favorite clothing to wear.  My mother, bless her heart, preferred for me to buy simple clothing that I would not tire of wearing. But, as soon as I was old enough to buy my own clothing, beautiful floral dresses started entering my wardrobe. And, I still have two suitcases of the ones I first bought, waiting for my girls to get big enough to enjoy. 

Currently, as a stay at home mom, I live in yoga pants or Levis and brightly colored t-shirts, but I do occasionally pop on a nice floral skirt if I want to be fancy.

I had originally planned to sew a very feminine Handmaiden's Cottage Petticoat dress out of the same swiss dot fabric Lynn used in her pattern listing. I found some lovely Shabby Chic white and lavender floral and my vision was something Elizabeth Bennett would have worn. However, I learned the hard way during design your own fabric week, white and lavender are very hard for an amateur to photograph correctly! 

So, I switched to a jewel tone garden dress and used up a bunch of my Jennifer Paganelli fabric stash. The main body of the dress is Natasha in green from Crazy Love.   The yellow floral ruffle is Victoria in mustard, also from Crazy Love. The navy floral at the bottom is Emma in navy from Lucky Girl. The turquoise ruffle is Rosetta in blue from Honey Child.  The other three ruffles are miscellaneous fabrics from my stash.  The lovely ribbon is from Les Bon Ribbons. You will not find lovelier ribbon anywhere else!   The pattern is the amazing Tea Party dress from Handmaiden's Cottage Patterns.

crazy love natasha fabric

jennifer paganelli dress


So that, my dear reader friends, is my signature style. My little one LOVES it and it makes me very happy to look at, which means it is a great success.  I may not win any awards for originality and I don't design my own patterns, but I love this dress and so does E and that is what makes a style your signature. That you love it and it brings you joy.



17 comments:

  1. This is so pretty! A girly overdose with all the ruffles and lovely floral prints. Every girls dream!

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  2. Beautiful - I love the color/pattern mix that you chose! I'm such a chicken when it comes to mixing patterns and colors - my stuff is always TOO matchy matchy. Love your style (and plan to steal it!) Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Steal away. I am happy to share. The key to mixing colors is being brave! Sometimes, you just have to do it!

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  3. I LOVE your "walking flower garden" version of the Tea Party Dress, Kathy! I'm a huge fan of Jennifer Paganelli's fabrics and using up your stash by having each ruffle in a different print is such a clever idea and so much fun!

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  4. So gorgeous! I love all the colors together. And if it had been on a mannequin I still would have guessed it was yours and I think THAT is a great signifier of a signature style -- knowing who it belongs to without label (or model) to tell you. Well done.

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    1. I've been thinking about your post and I wanted to add: I also struggled with the photography for PRP because black and white side by side are not easy -- either the pale blows-out or the dark loses all detail. I feel your pain with the white and lavender.

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    2. Thanks Ren! I am pleased you recognize my style. And yes, live and learn about photography. There is a way to photograph white and dark together and I will figure it out!!

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  5. What a pretty dress for a pretty girl! She looks like she loves it, and who wouldn't with all that frill? It's beautiful :)

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  6. Kathy,
    This dress is adorable! I love all of the flowers!

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    1. Thanks Amanda. You can inherit it, if you wish!!

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  7. This is so cute! She looks very happy in it too. Love all the ruffles.

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  8. I love the different color ruffles, so colorful and fun!

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  9. Heya! I'm at work browsing your blog from my new apple iphone!
    Just wanted to say I love reading your blog
    and look forward to all your posts! Carry on the fantastic work!


    My webpage; world at arms underwater

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