A fall brunch dress (or the 43 minute dress)

A fall brunch dress (or the 43 minute dress)

• 10.22.2010

I've had this dress in the back of my mind for months.  Inspired by several at Anthro, and some home dec fabric a friend gave me, I put together an idea to pretty much copy this dress:

I even got some really nice quality just-barely-off-white broadcloth from my mom's supply.  This stuff is such nice quality, totally straight on the grain and bolt.  So tightly woven, you have to use a really sharp needle on the machine to make it go through--and pinning two layers of it together is pretty much out of the question.  But it's nice, and thick, and doesn't get soft and pilly like quilter's cotton.

Anyway, as I was flipping through my pattern box to find the most similar bodice pattern I have to the Anthro dress, I happened on Simplicity 2497...

...which I've used several times before, and which reminded me of these Anthro dresses:

I figured it would work, too!  So instead of the first Anthro-ey bodice as I was imagining, I made the scoop-neck, unlined bodice, which, of course took practically no time at all.  I don't know exactly how long it took, but I was watching old Gilmore Girls episodes in the background, and I'm pretty sure I only went through one during the project--that's 43 minutes.  Ish.

I wanted to do something interesting on the scoop neck, not necessarily the ruffle from the pattern, and I realized I don't have anything with a pleated ruffle collar.  It was super easy to make--I tore a 4-5" long piece of the width of the fabric, folded it in half and pressed it well, and didn't even need to pin it all.  I basted the row of pleats before I attached it to the bodice, and just pleated as I sewed, tucking the fabric under the presser foot as I went!  Easy and actually kind of fun.  Then I pressed it really well before sewing it on the neckline, and finishing with self-fabric bias.  Ta-da!

I'm planning on wearing it to the post-wedding brunch on Sunday on my trip to Orlando!