Orange is the New Me

Sew, the fall weather is finally here in Memphis.  We won't have it long, but to have it break us out of the wretched heat is always a wonderful situation.  I didn't start this latest excursion because of the weather, but I thought it was a fitting choice to enjoy the beautifully cool morning and sunny afternoons.  As with almost everything I make, it starts with the shoes.  Life is about shoes.  If you don't agree and think it's something more complicated and ethereal, I feel so bad for you. :-)

I actually purchased these shoes several months ago in a different color (kinda midnight blue). At that time, I originally picked these up (I like unique) but returned them because the box said the shoes were red, they didn't at all look red to me, and I thought it would be hard to find a red fabric that went well with the color.  But then, the wretched store had these on sale.  That was all she wrote.  I went to the fabric store the next day for fabric.  Almost got a pinstripe (I thought the stripe was the same color as the shoe, but I was wrong) but then put it back.  I went back to the fabric store and found this orangy knit that I thought was perfectly devine.  At that point, I knew I wanted a sheath dress and some sort of unstructured jacket.  I was planning to make them all in the same fabric, but soon thought that would be a bit much.  I was started to think I would look like the Great Pumpkin in the monochrome color. 

After consulting my DD who is also an infrequent contributor to this ranting, suggested I find a being or taupe fabric that  I could use a s a contour band at the bottom and put 3/4 sleeves with the similar ban at the bottom of the sleeves.  

Well, I liked that idea and knew that I definitely wanted the band on the dress.  I was less committed to the band on the sleeves becuase I am always hot so most of my dresses are sleeveless. But this contrast meant going back to the fabric store! Because I had already searched the first store I knew I had to try a different locale.  So, off I go to the other side of the city in search of the perfect contrast.  And find exactly ONE bolt that would work with the orange. (Here is where I insert my rant about how terrible Hancock's is when it comes to decent apparrel fabric options!)

But the one piece I find appears to be pretty perfect.  My boyfriend took the photo and I guess it didn't matter that my eyes appear to be closed.  Those things are irrelevant to a man who doesn't want to take a photo of you and your dress first thing in the morning anyway.  LOL

I used these patterns.   Mccalls 6282, I made view C.  I cut off about 4 inches from the bottom of the pattern piece and used that as the contrast.  The other change was that the dress is lined.  Even though this fabric is a thin knit, I knew I didn't want the entire dress lined.  Initially I wasn't planning to line it at all, but because I didn't want to make facings (I was planning to wear the dress the next day!) I knew I needed something.  I also didn't want to scavange through my pattern stash in the hope of finding some lining fabric that would work.  So, since the fashion fabrc was pretty thin, I used that for the lining.  I also only lined it half way. I just felt that would work out better.  And it did!  It turns about that the thiness of the fabric really required something more.  The dress also had these side gathers.   I have put them in other garments (I've used this pattern a couple times before).  I put them in this dress and my first fitting showed they weren't flattering on me.  So, I took them out. I'm glad I did, it's a much more sophisticated look I think. 

 As for the jacket, I chose view A. You can't see it from the pattern views or my wearing, but it has the cutest peplum in the back.  It was super easy and I love the final look all together.  I wore it to work and got so many compliments.

This is incredibly comfortable.  I plan to make it all again in another knit, perhaps a print if I can find the right one (online!!)