Lips as red as rose

Do you ever have one of those projects that just fights you? Well, one happened to me recently. The dress you are about to see actually has appeared on this blog before but in a slightly different version.

I had grand visions of a fabulous 50s shirtwaist dress when I first spied this lovely rose print cotton swiss dot. It's part of Gertie's fabric line. So some yardage came home with me and I started plotting.

Originally, I opted for the bodice from Simplicity 2851 but I swapped out the late 40s skirt for a pleated fuller 50s style one. I loved the sweet collar and easy cut on sleeves.

But the waist came out too big. I did have this great wide red belt that I could have used to make it work but I do like flexibility in my wardrobe. Plus I didn't like the lack of mobility from the cut on sleeves. And then I messed up the position of the button holes so they weren't centered properly.

Thankfully, I had over a yard of extra fabric left and I could squeeze out a new bodice. My next try was Butterick 8078 which I'd made twice before. (1) (2)

It's got a great collar design! And then all I had to do was convert the 3/4 length sleeve into a short sleeve. And that's where things went wrong again. I tried a narrow shoulder adjustment and it didn't work out. Whoops!

I fretted for a few days and then just decided to scrap the sleeves and make it a sleeveless dress. I live in Florida now and sleeveless dresses are perfect for summer.

I'm so happy to have been able to use some of these cute vintage glitter buttons. So pretty! I wanted something pretty enough for this dress but that wouldn't compete with the fabric. These were the winners. Plus I have four more that I'll be saving for future project.

I also copied the opening style from a vintage dress. The skirt closes in the center front but it's hidden in the pleats. The pleats over lap enough so that the opening stays closed.

To play up the great vintage buttons, I accessorized with a vintage crystal necklace that belonged to my husband's grandmother. I love sparkly things!

So even though this was a trial and error project, I'm so happy that I pushed through and finished it. Yay for pretty new dresses!