Okay, perhaps that subject line was better left untyped, but this eyelet dress from La Redoute (kindly sent in by Angela) is pretty sweet. (Ignore that that model seems to be sizing you up for edibility.) It reminds me of this one that Helen was looking for a pattern for last year.
When I was in LA I almost bought $100 of broderie anglaise, but I restrained myself with difficulty, remembering that I already *have* an eyelet dress (I'll add it to the picture queue) and that there's something fishy about a wardrobe with more than a couple eyelet items. I don't know why, but eyelet, like lamé and lurex, is more of a condiment fabric than a main course. But it's lovely for summer!
Speaking of summer sewing, although I don't think I can do the full-on SWAP (sewing with a plan) lifestyle (as it involves the using only minimal prints, and you all know we can't have that here at Dress A Day Headquarters) but I am considering, this year, limiting myself to maybe only four colors — bright yellow, grass green, baby blue, and orange. That way I could maybe reduce my packing tsuris … and of course, even restricting colors still means I can wear stuff like this:
Or this:
Right?
A Dress A Day 
This morning (not to depress anyone, but), it was 1 degree F at my house. Spring seems very very far away, so looking at those lovely colors in the prints was a great “lifter-upper” for me this morning.
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Hey..I’ve been limiting myself to those colors for years! What’s not to like?And I love the “Cheer” at the beginning. Maybe we can start a Sewing Cheer Leader movement, where people will stand around us as we sew, cheering us through difficult curves and tricky collars.”Baste and Notch, the way you’re Taught, Sewings better than Store bought!”Oh boy…I think you’ve started something.
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I was just sizing up that same striped pique the other day! I think the plan of using patterns in the same color family is a good one. I have almost all solid-colored clothes, and I really think I need some prints to pull stuff together.
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Since we’re on the topic of cheers, I may as well confess. In my younger days I was on a Math League team. Our cheer?2! 4! 6! 8! We know how to calculate! Yeah, Pythagoras!
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Last summer I bought two eyelet blouses, identical retro styles, one in white and one in black. I couldn’t wear the white one. It felt way too sweet, so I returned it. But the black one is sort of good girl/bad girl. I love it! I would wear this dress in black.
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I made last years spring coat from that green chintz. People LOVE it and ask where I got it. I’ve taken to telling them that recycled the slip covers from grandma’s sun porch.
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BTW–that green chintz has 2% spandex in it, and it is plenty warm. There are times I’ve regretted lining it. But it’s such a pretty sunshine yellow lining.Ah, reminds me of grandma’s sun porch.
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Another cheer.Baste and serge, hem and tack, our clothes are better than what’s on the rack!Or this. . .Peter pan, shawl, convertible collar! All for sewing stand up and hollar!Maybe too much coffee this morning.
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Andrea, you crack me up!Erin, as a deeply committed SWAPer, sometimes committable, but that’s another post. The real beauty of SWAP is in the numbers more than the pattern/ not pattern question. If you like prints and like wearing them together, get your freak on! i am print phobic but I could totally see a cute stripey skirt out of the pique and a nipped in jacket out of the paisley together. The hardest part about using prints is getting the colors to play nice. These play pretty well. I am still working through dress anxiety, ie. the feeling that I’m wearing a costume and everyone feels the need to comment on it. It is getting easier though.
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The eyelet is pretty, hurry up summer!
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I love white eyelet dresses, but I’m not sure they’re entirely suitable for a woman of a certain age (i.e., old broads like me). I do have a black eyelet dress that I like, and I’m all for eyelet blouses — condiment, as you say.
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I am in luuurve with that stripe, Erin. Absolutely.And, hooray for the Sewing Cheerleaders! My pom-poms are still in your basement, yanno. And guess what? They’re green. They’ll match!If we’re SCs, who’s our mascot? Bobby the Bobbin? Prickly the Pincushion? Tapey McMeasursons?
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OH MY GOD THE PAISLEY THE PAISLEY THE PAISLEY.I want a sleeveless fitted knee-length sheath dress with darts!!! That paisley is inspiring. Did I mention I love paisley?Still have to learn to sew! What am I waiting for?
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I’ve been eyeballing that paisley fabric for a while now. It’s very affordable and I’m sure I have a pattern I could use it for….
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You made me look up a word in the dictionary – I love it. And thanks for that link to the Nova Scotia fabric site. It’s nice to find a Canadian source so I don’t suffer from that broker/duty/tax nonsense when things are shipped across the border. However, I don’t think I can make her 2007 SWAP contest so I’ll have to line things up for 2008. I can do that.Lately, all my stuff has been brown and it’s just TOO serviceable. I am going to make a sleeveless cotton summer dress in a muslin for my next project (I think).
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I’m not an white eyelet person. Black eyelet sure. I have some shirts in eyelet, one is sleeveless.I also made some crop pants last year in black cotton eyelet, Vogue 8201. Surprisingly not as revealing as you’d think if I remember to wear flesh color panties….it also isn’t a very revealing eyelet, which I’m sure the world is grateful for.
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Ooh, that’s a perfectly sweet dress for Spring!
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Oh My!!! I just had a flashback to the early Seventies when I was a teenager! I had a pink flowery-ish fabric like the paisley green one. And I mean HOT pink! It was a barkcloth type tht my grandmother brought back from her one and only trip to Hawaii. I remember it was a little difficult to sew, but it wore beautifully. Just can’t remember what I made, probably a dres back then since pants weren’t allwoed in schools yet. The funny thing is hot pants were at my school.
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I have a what would be a very plain, simple cream-colored eyelet dress, except the eyelet is *sewn in brown*. And it has pockets. Basically it’s the best dress in the world.Actually, no, the best dress in the world is my blue-brown-and-cream stripe with a midriff band. But the eyelet one comes pretty darn close.
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I like the SWAP “lifestyle” – I’ve done it before in my wardrobe, although I haven’t sewn the clothes, but when I’ve purchased them, I’ve worked with just 3 colors some seasons. Unfortunately, I rarely wear prints (they don’t seem to flatter me); my 3 colors typically are black, white, and red. I could never be as daring as you are with your color choices!
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You could do a dress SWAP, which lets you use more prints. Imagine an army of print dresses with neutral jackets.
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Nora, your description of that two-tone eyelet had me in a state of pure, crystalline fabric lust! What a marvelous idea!
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Thanks for the link to the site about SWAP. It was exactly what I was looking for. I’ve been trying to figure out what to sew and how to get the most mileage from what I make, as I’m disabled and essentially a homebody. So many places that I’ve seen get these 4-5-fill in the number pieces and you will have countless outfits, all seem to cater to the career woman who tends to have a lot of high-brow affairs to attend. A highlight of my week is going out to the grocery store, but would still like to look nice at home. I’m going to work that SWAP into my sewing projects as it makes sense.I love the eyelet dress. I love dresses or at least skirts. My hubby would rather see me in skirts or dresses and I love him so I aim to please! Just wish my waistline hadn’t gone out of town and forgot to come home!
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OOh! How dare you let me see that green paisley again? I’ve wanted to make “The Anna Dress” out of it ever since I saw it but I couldn’t build up the courage… I think I’ll have to get that and blue polka dots on my next selfish fabric store trip…
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NOOOOOO! We will not let you do a SWAP if it means restricting your patterned fabric in any way…So don’t, ok? As long as you have some all-round shoes and bags, packing shouldn’t be a problem, no matter how many colors and patterns you bring….My wardrobe is full of different colors, styles, patterns and even SWAP-like items, but the versatility is what I love about it…But I am not worried, because I know you won’t be able to limit yourself…you’re mrs. Dressaday for Chrissakes!
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I am not sure I would want my wardrobe made up of only those colors but it does sound fun.
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Right. Must.Use.Impulse.Control.
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I love it. Of course you will need to work in a grass green retro shawl collar jacket (linen?) and imagine the fun you’ll have shopping for the SHOES!!!www.retrograce.blogspot.comJuliane aka RetroGrace
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I’ve had to travel a lot for work and having a core wardrobe of coordinating colors made packing a lot easier. However, over time I’ve found that I’d rather purchase the simple pieces (when I can) and spend my rather limited sewing time constructing garments that I can’t find/afford. These pieces are the ones that give an interesting and personal twist to the basics and keep you from getting bored with sewing.
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