Anyone hungry for some vegetables? I am!
This is another Emery by Christine Haynes, the bodice of which as you know has basically become my bodice block! This one has my usual modification of cut-on sleeves, paired with a square neckline. I love square necklines and for this version I went a bit deeper than I have in the past.
I’ve had this nagging feeling all along that the Emery bodice was a bit short on me. I know I’m short-waisted, and I have even tested out where the finished waist hits on my body. No, it’s not too high. It really does sit at my natural waist. But I couldn’t get rid of that thought. I know it wasn’t too high… but it still looked and felt a little too high to me when I wore those dresses. And it continued to bother me just a bit.
So I thought, what harm could come out of trying a slightly longer bodice? This is sewing, so none at all. And so for this dress, I lengthened the bodice one inch. Wait, that’s a little white lie as I got ahead of myself–I actually lengthened the bodice on the dress before this, which I haven’t photographed yet! Eek, sorry.
And I’m quite pleased with the new bodice length! It may be that it sits ever so slightly below my actual narrowest part, but I’m okay with that. It hits at a really comfortable spot. All the dresses I’ve been sewing this year have a valid place in my wardrobe and are getting worn a lot, as will this one. I may even switch between the two bodice lengths in the future (and I suspect I’ll probably split the difference on some future version, too). But this answers a question that I’ve had in the back of my head for about six months, which is really satisfying!
So yeah, by the way, my dress is covered in vegetables! This fabric is Eat Your Fruits and Veggies by Moda and I LOVE IT. What does one wear with a veggie dress? Carrot earrings, right? Right.
I opted for patch pockets on this dress. I love patch pockets, but they’re not always the best with cardigans or a jacket, so that limits their wearability outside of summer. I’ve been striving for more dresses in my wardroe that I can transition into other seasons pretty easily vs. strictly one-season summer dresses. But let’s face it–a yellow dress full of veggies screams summer dress, so I figured I was safe adding patch pockets to this one!
The binding technique was one I mentioned in my post on the Craftsy 40 Techniques class. I also matched up the print, which is something I’ve come to love doing on patch pockets! And with such a busy print, I love that the binding gives them a little ‘pop’.
Here’s a peculiar thing: I trimmed the bodice down a bit for this version, by about 2″ total, just by taking in the side seams 1/2″ each (as both front/back pieces were on the fold). I did that because I was finding my dresses using this bodice were a bit bigger than I wanted.
And the fit on this feels perfect! But immediately after sewing this dress, I sewed another with exactly the same modified bodice, changing only the neckline. Seriously, the pieces measure exactly the same, the weight of fabric is pretty much the same, yet the second dress is nearly a full inch smaller at the waist than this one. It’s a conundrum! I have to figure out what to do on my next version… go back to the original that felt a bit too big, or use this one that was perfect once and a bit too tight the second time. Hmmm.
By the way, these photos have finally proven to me that the black hair dye is officially gone from my hair. Yee haw! A darker brown remains at the ends (more noticeable in certain lighting), but I’m finally seeing mostly my natural color for the first time in years, and enjoying it. Of course, I’m totally not enjoying all the gray that’s becoming more and more obvious… I’m going to have to make a decision soon what to do about that, argh. A conundrum of a different kind.
Anyway, suffice it to say I love this dress and I think it’s going to be one of my hot weather favorites! The fabric is so fun and kitschy, what could be better for summer?
Now, pass the veggies!
outfit details
dress – made by me
polymer clay carrot earrings – Baking Bella Boutique
hair flowers – misc.
Bakelite bangles – misc.
shoes – Swedish Hasbeen braided low wedges
you make me wanna sew everydayyyyyy! :)) I need to find some awesome fabrics like yours!
Thanks, Ines! Yes you definitely do! 😀
I just love this print and this dress. SO cute!!
Thanks, Emily! 🙂
This is really, really cute, Tasha! I love all those veggies and the print matching on your trimmed patch pockets is ACE!
I stopped dying my hair almost four years ago in order to grey naturally. It’s something I’ve been set-on doing since I was a teenager working at a salon-maybe a weird conviction for a teenager to have, but I don’t think I’ll regret it. And, there’s still time to change my mind.
I also stopped dying my hair (and i have lots of grey in there @ 35). I think there is still some dye at the ends, but I really can’t tell. Perhaps the grey hairs are just more dense at the crown of my head since I do have greys that are full length also.
I didn’t want to worry about constant upkeep and obvious grey roots. Occasionally i think that i should get highlights or something, but my friends wife, who cuts my hair, has dissuaded me knowing that I won’t handle the upkeep.
Surprisingly, i’ve gotten compliments on the grey swaths of hair. Maybe it makes me look older, but I think i can handle that.
Good for you! I kept up dyed hair for years and years but now I’m kind of enjoying finally not doing all that. We’ll see how long it lasts!
Thanks, Michelle! I’m pretty proud of that matching on the pockets, even though it’s such a small place to do it so it’s not like something as awesome as doing it on a bodice or side seam. 😉
Good for you for sticking to your desire to go natural– I can’t seem to decide. On one hand, I feel like I don’t want to have it dictated for me that there’s something “wrong” about going gray naturally. (My mom has all gray has and she’s gorgeous.) On the other hand…meh… I don’t love it. And you’re right, you can certainly change your tune any time. 🙂
This dress is great! I definitely calls to mind Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus (in the best way possible!)!!! Especially with the carrot earrings! Love it. You make me want to branch out into garment sewing. Hmmm… where to start.
You should do it! Just start with something small. There’s no reason for garment sewing to be more daunting than other types of sewing, you just have to dive in with two feet and give it a whirl. It’s addictive, in the best of ways! 🙂
I LOVE the fabric! I have some great fabric I’ve been waiting for summer and the right pattern to sew up, one had rainbow swiss chard on it and the other purple cabbage. They were made by Kaffe Fassett. I love the style of the dress you made here, but I’m not sure if I am skilled enough to change the neckline and add kimono sleeves.
Oh those fabrics sound amazing! (And somehow not at all surprising given it’s Kaffe Fassett.) I’ve gotten a lot of questions about the kimono sleeve change. I’ve been really busy lately but hopefully when summer settles down a bit (assuming it ever does), I may do a little tutorial on how I did that hack. 🙂
Lovely! I’m not surprised you use the Emery bodice as a block – the fit is perfect. Interestingly I also lengthened the bodice on my Emery dress by an inch and it’s just right. Love the carrot earrings too! x
Thanks, Jane! The funny thing is that the most comfy quasi-Emerys I did have the higher bodice and are a little bigger on me, and I wear them at home all the time (and since I work from home, that’s a lot). So I may still stick with that rendition sometimes! 😉
I must say I fully appreciate the detailed posts on the experiments with this bodice. I tend to do this alot with patterns. Stick to one and try to perfect. So thank you for that and tick another sweet make off your list! Fabulous!
Thanks so much! I’ve really enjoyed tweaking it here and there. I’m definitely more one to want to have a few good patterns in my back pocket that I can tinker with endlessly than always using new ones (not that I don’t enjoy that too on occasion of course).
Like pretty much everything else you’ve made since I started following your blog, I love this dress. The fabric is so fun and playful, and I really admire your ability to create pieces that you really love for yourself. I’m a big fan of kimono sleeves myself, and tend to snap then up when I find them – they’re always so flattering. Anyway, great project, and every post you do makes me want to go out and buy a sewing machine.
Thanks for the kind words! It took me forever to realize that one of the reasons I wasn’t wearing most of my dresses or blouses in the summer was because of set-in sleeves, which I absolutely detest once it gets too hot. I’m not a big fan of hot weather so it’s like that extra little bit of fabric throws me over the edge. lol Kimono sleeves are the perfect solution for that!
Goodness, what an absolutely darling dress! I’m so in love with that fabric, and I love your carrot earrings! I actually have a carrot brooch, hehe. 🙂
xox Sammi
http://www.thesoubrettebrunette.blogspot.com
Thanks, Sammi! And ooh, a carrot brooch, sounds adorable! I’m all for the ridiculous novelty accessories. 😀
This is super cute. You are a sewing inspiration. I love how you’ve fine tuned your bodice to your specifications. This is an art within itself. Kudos to you!
Aww, thanks Joanna, I appreciate it!
I love your sense of whimsy! You look adorable in your dress 😀
Thank you! 🙂
Please consider doing a tutorial post about the variations you’ve made to the Emery! Your kimono sleeve is just perfection, and your tutes are always so fun to read. Think of all the good it will do to have a post on drafting a square neckline and kimono sleeve from an existing pattern. The empowerment!
Hee hee, I like your coercion. 😉 I’m hoping to do just that later this summer once my schedule calms down a bit!
Where in the world do you find the time? You need to issue a “tutorial” on time management. I am VERY jealous of the sewing time you have. All the dresses are not only unique but look great on you. I’ll be waiting for your tutorial. Keep up the great work!
Ha ha! Part of it is that I’ve been sewing a lot of similar things this year, and while in most cases it’s involved tracing off new bodice pieces, it’s much faster to sew things that I’m already familiar with constructing, you know? I even have a little post-it with the order of steps I generally use to complete similar styles of dresses. This worked out well for me last year too, when I sewed several similar blouses in a row– it sped things up and meant I spent less time pouring over instructions and trying to figure new things out.
lovely! and I hardly recognized it as my pattern! which is credit to you for making something so unique and wonderful. great as always!
Oh, thanks so much Christine! My wardrobe would be a MUCH more drab place without your wonderful Emery pattern! <3
so cute
retro rover
Thanks!
Oh, how I wish I had the inclination to sew! I could have so many more pretty dresses! You look fabulous, as always. And if you ever decide to make for sale….pls contact me 🙂
Oh gosh, I wish you DID sew as I can only imagine the wonderful fabrics you’d select for your creations! 😉
What a healthy-looking dress, good enough to eat Tasha ;o)
Bwahaha! I’ll pass you a big bowl of salad and a fork all the way from here! 😉
I’ve been following your blog for a while now, and you always sew the most lovely dresses! I really enjoy the posts. Thanks for sharing xx
Love your blog! And your style! I have a question about how to change the sleeves to kimono ? I muslined this pattern and the sleeves where constricting when I tried to lift my arms not sure how to alter this issue? But thought maybe kimono sleeves would be less restrictive.? Or if you know what the alteration would be for this fitting issue? Thanks
Hi Crystal, I’m sorry I’m not really sure what would help in your case– not sure if the issue is the back is too narrow or the armholes are too high, etc. Could be a variety of reasons. You might try looking for other people who have sewn Emery and see if anyone has had a similar issue? Kimono sleeves do give a lot more ease around the armholes but of course it’s a totally different look to set-in sleeves. I’m hopefully going to do a tutorial for that this summer sometime. 🙂
What a perfect dress for the summer! Love the fabric!
One of these days I’m never going to comment on your blog posts any more and it will be because I died of cuteness overload!! If the fabric wasn’t amazing enough, the little carrot earrings are just too much. …too much cute. I can’t handle it. You’re adorable! And I also might add that your dresses always fit so beautifully. It’s awesome that you found a great pattern to make a bodice block from! I’m so happy you’ve found projects that make you happy and you can just keep making and making and making 🙂 I want that!
xo
Fabulous dress. I love the fabric, it reminds me of a 1950’s kitchen. Which is a good thing, obviously!
Another perfect dress!!!! Cannot believe how fast you create new nice outfits…. I want to learn how to sew so badly….
Ahhh, how cute! You must have the happiest closet! Is there any chance that you cut the smaller bodice on the crossgrain? I did that once, not realizing that there’s less give to fabric on the crossgrain and it ended up smaller than a version of the same thing cut normally.
I didn’t, but good thought! I can’t figure it out. If it was just a smidge I’d assume it was just from using different fabrics but it’s a big enough difference that it’s a stumper!
I love your dresses….some day I will sew myself a dress, but I will need a good pattern for this. 🙂
You are so so adorable! What an amazing dress and if you every want to make another I want to place an order!