Even though I now probably have enough shirtwaist patterns to paper my sewing room with them (not that I *would*, but I could), this one caught my eye … it has a zipper! A center-front zipper, which you hardly ever see on non-athletic clothing any more.
If I made this I'd do it in some kind of fine black lawn with one of those fancy rhinestone zippers. Which reminds me: I really need to do a big online notions/zippers/etc. order: what sites do you all recommend? I should compile a list …
And speaking of lists, yes, this marks the second Friday that has been bereft of linktasticness, but my wifi connection while traveling has been a bit … unreliable. And linktasticity needs, above all, reliable internet, so I can follow all those links to their stunning conclusions. But keep those links coming; the next one is likely to be overwhelming. You'll need to set aside a whole morning just to click them all …
(Oh, and in this picture, don't you think Flowered Dress has just said something completely inane to Green Dress? I think so, too, but I can't decide what it was. If you know, leave a comment, please!)
A Dress A Day 
i love the riri zippers with the colored teeth–though still haven’t found the right project for one. maybe this would be it. http://www.zipperstop.com/id34.htm
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I love this one, too. My problem is full skirts are too much fabric for me, my legs are thin, body is sometimes normal, but after being pregnant 6 times in 5.5 years (we have 1 adopted, 3 biological living and 3 miscarriages), it is not back down to a normal waist and I am 5’1″. I look better in a slightly gathered A-line in a thinner fabric, which is ok since we live in south central Texas (our high was 90 on Tuesday). By the way, you could paper your room: scan the photos and use the printed version, but it might be messy. You could make a large picture/wallhanging instead! Myra
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If you’re compiling a list of favorite places for notions/zippers/etc., please post it! Your site is wonderful (and a bad influence – I have a vintage pattern that I just finished cutting up last night and will be sewing into a dress in the next week), but those of us who live without easy access to fabric stores would completely appreciate a list of places to go online. ~e
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I’ve been stocking up at:http://www.homesew.com/(cheaper stuff)http://www.mjtrim.com/(fancier stuff)
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Flowered dress lady says, “Well I LIKE the way the breeze blows up the fuller skirt, so put that in your pipe and smoke it!”
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Dear Erin,Please leave some patterns out there for the rest of us. Thank you,-Erin
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Flowered Dress Says: Yes Esmerelda we ARE going to “National Notions” before lunch! She then pokes green dress in eyes with raised fingers in a 3 stooges move.Yello dress in background is leaving the scene to take the streetcar home and avoid Flowered Dress’ abuse.
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Flowered dress: “your eybrows are to dark.” Green dress is gettign ready to burn flowered dress to a crisp with her hot stare. (I love green dress’s dress, especially the sleeves.)
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Miss Flowered Dress;”Really, Wearing only one glove is going to become huge. Huge, I tell you!”
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Flowered Dress: “Well, you may have the better sleeves, but at least *my* hair is still intact. What happened to your hat?”
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I’m fairly certain Flowered Dress is midway through her interpretation of “I’m a Little Teapot.”Do post the notions links! Us knitwear designers can use ’em, too.
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Flower dress to the green dress, “tomorrow maybe a little less severe with your eyebrow pencil…like mine”(Ha!)
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Flowered dress: “I find that if I stir my coffee with the tip of my finger, I can burn an extra five calories!”Though I don’t think that trumps the little teapot comment.
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And here I thought that she was imparting the secrets of how to hide pockets in the extra fullness of her skirt (which explains where her other glove is, too).
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Miss FD “I don’t want to alarm you, but I think I can see a grey hair.”
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Totally different. I LOVE this one.
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Judging by the way FloweredDress is pointing coyly upwards, I think she’s just asked GreenDress what she thinks that cloud is thinking.For the fifth time in six minutes. And two of those were the same cloud.
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FloweredDress: My de-ah, if you had only secured your hat–a pin right the-ah–you might not have lost the front half.
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Flowered dress: Wheee! I’m so tipsy that I have to prop my chin up with my hand, or my head falls down.
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Flower Dress…and then we put our right legs in, and then we took our right legs out, and then we shook them all about. I think it’s called the ‘Hodey Podey…’Green Dress”Hokey Pokey, you simpleton”
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Flower girl to green girl: “*Love* your dress. . . where’d you get the pattern?”
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Flowered Dress is saying, “No, no. It’s the easiest procedure in the world! See, no scars!”
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“Sometimes I put my fingers under my arms. And then I SMELL them. Like THIS!”
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Flowered dress is a few syllables into a catty remark about green dress’ recent chin implant. Yellow dress is hurriedly exiting to avoid being rumpled in the cat fight that will surely follow.
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For zippers and stuff I hear good things about http://www.zipperstop.com/ though I haven’t shopped with them myself.Venus Ribbon (http://www.venusribbon.com/) is grosgrain heaven.
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whatever flowered dress is saying to green dress, orange dress has turned away and is trying desperately not to laugh.
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Speaking of zippers, I had success putting a hidden zipper up the front of a fitted vintage suit that was just THAT much too small. Since I had to cover the existing button holes, I put fancy beaded frog closures over them, running up and down both sides of the zipper. It looked really sharp.Then I outgrew it again.
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Flowers: “I can tell John likes me so much.” Green, thinking, I saw him snogging yellow just before you walked in.
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Obviously, flower dress just said, “Why yes, the subject of youth in Asia is very important, that’s why I always tell my children to eat all their broccoli.”
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oo! oo! I like this one too. But I just shot the budget again at Lanetz so I have to be good for awhile.”zipper”? You all speak such strange words. I think you mean non-separable slide fastener. :-)So just exactly how did it come to be called a zipper anyway?
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How the slide clasp became thezipper: http://www.apparelsearch.com/zipper_history.htm
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“Those squirrels over there are talking about me. I love melted chocolate.”
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For notions try Atlanta Thread Supply. They have a great selection of thread and the prices on zippers are great.Janet from Alabama
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She said: “Puffy sleeves are so over, you know”.
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It’s also possible, of course, that Green Dress is a drag queen (notice all the eyebrow pencil) and Flowered Dress is handing out pointers. (“Now, when you lead your walk with the chin, like this, it looks SUPER feminine.”) Yellow Dress off in the background is another drag queen, practicing her walk before they head out to the clubs.
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Flowered dress, a widdow three times over, is giving relationship advice to aqua dress who is having a bit of trouble with her philandering husband.”If you add just a wee bit of arsenic to the icing sugar, he’ll never taste it. Honest.”Yellow dress is an undercover FBI agent who has been assigned to the “Case of the Blue Dress Murders”. She is speaking into one of those newfangled microphones that she finds to be a cumbersome but necessary accessory.
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Flowered dress is Italian. Green dress has just made a disparaging remark about “garlic-eaters.” Flowered dress is making a hand-to-chin gesture well-known to Italians as green dress looks on condescendingly. Yellow dress has her hand on her heart, saying a little prayer for both of them.Cammy
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Actually, yellow dress has just turned away in shame, realizing she should never have introduced her new friend from charm school to her old friend from the neighborhood.Cammy
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Oooh, make the straight-skirted version but with short sleeves. Or if you don’t like that style for yourself — make it for me! 😉
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Flowered: Darling, this is the most FANTASTIC news-Sleeves: Oh yeah?Yellow: Good god in heaven, please don’t let them push each other out into the great big void of whiteness!
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online store – http://www.fabricdepot.comthey are having a special – 30% off online purchases.Good Notions Selection
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“Honey, I don’t think you plucked your eye-brows evenly.”
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“Emerald, I see that you and Goldie are both having back troubles again,” said Flora. “Let me give you one of these wonderful pills my doctor perscribed for me. For nerves, you know, but after a couple, you won’t care. Now where did I put them? I just know there’s a pocket in this dress somewhere. (Giggle) Maybe I should have taken just one.”
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Thanks for the info Theresa!OMG you all are so funny.This is way better than i can has a cheezburger!
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Flower Dress is singing ” I’m too sexy for my shirt-dress”Yellow Dress turns in disgust ” oh please! “
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Flowered dress: If I tilt my head just so, and swish my skirt back with a gloved hand, I can tune in Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra. With my eyes closed, I even see the bubbles from the bubble machine. Can you hear it too? They’re playing a polka! Green dress is thinking: How did yellow dress get away? Oh No! I think she’s about to throw up!Saidee
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Flower Dress: I think the shoes look GREAT with my dress, flowers and all. Besides, who are YOU to talk, you magic markered one of your eyebrows higher than the other.
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Green is wondering if Flower even notices the missing glove.
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Oooh, I just LOVE front zipper wiggle dresses, but have yet to make or buy one. They are a tad bit daring for me.
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Oh, and Mrs. FD is obviously jealous of Mrs. GD’s sleeves, so she is trying to hurt her feelings by commenting on her absent hat. You know the type.
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