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7.17.2015

Dear Prudence Dress in Bouquet in Duck Egg

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet a fellow sewing blogger.  While I hadn't previously met up with a sewing blogger, I have met quite a few different adoption bloggers.   The first time I met up with someone I had only known through blogging, I was a little nervous about it.  Would it be like an awkward blind date?  But it has never been awkward at all.  In fact, every single time it was like connecting with an old friend.



Of the bloggers I have met, they have always seemed like they do on their blogs.  I know some people say that blogging is a facade.  But there was actually a study conducted on this topic and it found that blogs give a pretty accurate portrayal of what people are like.  The study authors suggested this was largely due to the fact that blogging requires so many words, unlike other forms of social media.  So it gives a better picture of someone's true self.  Anecdotally, I can only say this has been my experience as well.


So I was excited and not at all nervous to meet Courtney from Sweeter Than Cupcakes while she was in town.  We had a great time chatting for two hours at the park while the kids played.  It's so awesome to talk with someone who is passionate about sewing like I am.   But we also had so many other things to talk about and really only talked about sewing part of the time.  Oh and I had to mention how impressed I was with the incredible watercolor-themed birthday party she threw for her daughter.  It was complete with watercolor invitations and even a watercolor party outfit.  It was all so original and unique... and totally amazing!


Courtney works for Modkid.  (As an aside - this Modkid Euro Hoodie dress might just be Iris' favorite garment of all time.)  So at one point, our conversation turned toward pattern companies.  One of the things we discussed was how many indie patterns are available now, especially compared to when we first started sewing.


I was telling her how thankful I am for indie designers.  In the past, I would see the most beautiful garments on Pinterest and yet they were unattainable for me to sew and way out of my price range to purchase.  At that time, there just were not patterns available that looked like the clothing I saw and admired on Pinterest.


Things are so different now.  Sometimes I can't keep up with all of the new patterns coming out.  But patterns designers like Rae, An and Suz helped me find and define my personal sewing style.  And yeah, maybe that sounds a little melodramatic, but it's true.


This dress is the Dear Prudence dress by Suz of SewPony Vintage.  Suz's tagline is Vintage Style * Modern Patterns.  I think that sums it up! 


I had originally planned to sew this dress in a pink vintage print, but Dan suggested that might be a bit too sugary sweet.  So instead I was the last person on earth to try one of Alison Glass's fabrics from her line Handcrafted.  This one's called Bouquet in Duck Egg.


This dress has so many great details!   A shirred bodice, a piped collar, piped pockets, a gently gathered skirt, and a back gathered by elastic.  I love that there is no back closure allowing for easy on and off.  And whatever you do, don't fear the shirr.  It was as easy as changing out my bobbin thread.


The pattern said that the pattern testers found that this pattern took 2 1/2 hours to sew.  To me, that seemed really, really fast.  So I timed it.  And for me, it took 3 1/2 hours.  I am not a slow sewer, but I am pretty particular, paying a lot of attention to the details.  I press at every step.   I also understitched the neckline and the arm scythes.  I sewed my collar in the way Mie describes here.  I cut it on the bias first and was really happy with how it laid.


Still, I think 3 1/2 hours is pretty darn fast for a dress with this many details.  And it took me an hour and 10 minutes to make the piping, get it sewn on just right and then properly pressed.  Maybe some of the testers opted out of the piping, which would make it a faster sew.


If only you could have seen Tia's face when she saw the pockets.  She talked about those pockets all day long.  The pockets!    I love seeing her light up like that.  She just glows.


Today is the last day of Suz's Dear Prudence dress blog tour, which means it's the last day to get this pattern for 15% off.  Just use the code PRUDENCE15.


Thanks for the great pattern, Suz!  It was a joy to sew!  And Tia loves it just as much as I do.


20 comments:

  1. Oh it is just beautiful!! Thank you so much Rachel! And Tia - I am so glad you like your pockets and your new dress!!

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  2. So now that you have tried so sew with the Alison Glass fabric I am officially the last person on earth not to have sewn with it, haha. It IS beautiful though...very beautiful! And so is Tia in her dress! I so agree with you that is has so many great details and I love that you talk about the sewing time. I'm usually double on the time mentioned, ha. Oh, and I'm so jealous of your and Courtney's park play date. I bet that was fun :-) Thanks for the link. I'm so happy it worked for you too!

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    1. Thanks so much for taking the time to create the tutorial. I know doing so is a lot of work. I always feel so lucky to learn tips from you, knowing you did this professionally. That's just amazing! <3

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  3. oh my gosh, I just love this. The fabric choice is perfect, and your sewing is so polished. The photos are beautiful as usual. And she is gorgeous. Totally gorgeous. Her skin next to the fabric is an amazing combo too.

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  4. Lovely dress, lovely Tia, and lovely time together!! Your dress shows off the pattern details so well. We put so much effort into our blogs that our personalities are bound to show through. That's one reason I was so excited to meet you!

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  5. I agree with Dan on the fabric choice! This one is beautiful: playful but not too sweet.

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    1. Yes, I do believe he was right. He usually is. ;)

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  6. Oh my, that fabric is górgeous! It suits Tia so so well, she shines like a star!

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  7. I have this exact fabric sitting on my sewing table. I'm so excited to see what you did with it! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! But now I'm not sure if it's going to work with my rather pale skin... Maybe I should just sent it to you to make another dress exactly like this when Tia outgrows this one!!!

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  8. oh that dress! it is perfection for Tia!! so gorgeous! I love that fabric and it makes her glow even more!! I am glad you had a great time meeting Courtney although I must say I AM a little bit jealous!!
    hugs to you

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  9. The dress is beautiful, the colours really suit Tia.

    Every time I've met a blogger in real life I have felt the same, like going on a blind date, but you are right, they are normally exactly how you think they will be from their blogs, so they always feel like friends after about 45 seconds.

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  10. I love that fabric! I would totally make something for myself with it... coz my daughter would only approve flora prints... I am getting slightly over florals haha Everything you make looks perfect, and this dress is not an exception.

    I remember the first time I met with a blogger in real life! We both wanted to offer a catch up and both thought the other one would think we were nuts! But once we actually got brave and organised a catch up it felt we just continued a conversation we have started a while ago.

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  11. Gorgeous dress, Rachel, just gorgeous. That fabric, that color, that piping...you (and Tia!) really made this pattern shine! It's stunning!

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  12. The photo of Tia staring into the camera down at the water's edge is just stunning. The dress looks perfect on her.

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  13. Oh yes Rachel this dress turned out so beautifully!! Perfect fabric choice (kudos to you and Dan there) and love the piping. It looks so great on Tia. I've met quite a few bloggers as they've come through town and it's been the case for me too that people's blogs are good representations of their personalities. It's fun and kind of crazy how easy it is to be friends with people you've only met online!

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  14. I love that dress. It looks gorgeous on Tia. Soo beautiful.
    And, oh yes, meeting blogging friends in real life is quite exciting, but always so worth it!

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  15. Lovely! It's an amazing fabric / pattern combination. M

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  16. Oh Rachel, this dress is divine! I have been drooling over that fabric ever since it was announced, but could always restrain myself. But I'm SO going to buy this when I'm in the US now! Tia just looks amazing in that color. And the dress is just perfection. Thank you for the sweet reference! It's funny, because you know how much you have influenced me (e.g. my addiction to Cotton Couture Amber ;-)) Big xoxoxo

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  17. The fabric + piping combination is just so beautiful on this dress! And the colors are perfect on Tia! Also, nice to know that the shirring isn't a big deal. E's favorite summer dress is a store-bough shirred sundress and someday it'd be fun to recreate.

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