i guess i have a thing for facial part prints. after eye print, now this lip one. i couldn’t help it, the print reminds me of Moschino for some reason, even though it’s not. when i saw the fabric, i just knew i wanted to make it as a shirt dress. but not just any usual shirt dress. you know me, i like surprises.
but first: the original pattern. a while ago, the writer behind Indonesia In My Pocket sent me a thank you note. and along with the mail, she sent me a stack of vintage patterns. one of them was this:
i’ve always wanted to try a vintage pattern, and this one looked promising. thankfully it was my size (or it was loose-fitting enough that i can still fit in it! i guess back then the clothing sizes were slightly bigger. phew!). i used it as a base for the top part.
at first i thought the darts would be a pain in the a**se to do, but it went by like a breeze! next, i decided to add small gathered sleeves.
for the back side, i added a peekaboo factor with a black polka dot tulle.
then i added cut-out details on the sides of the waist part. the skirt part is basically made of 3 rectangles, and to make it so that the cut-out parts don’t hang loose i added elastic bands exactly under the cut-out parts.and that’s not all yet for the details! i also added hidden side pockets! 😀

self-made dress, stockings from Plaza Semanggi-Jakarta, shoes from Dappermarkt – Amsterdam, Miffy watch.
i don’t know what got into me, i just felt like adding this and that tiny details to this dress. it took me far longer than usual to complete this dress, what with the pattern altering & sewing the buttons… and i also believe my sewing machine is slowly dying, as it was jammed hundreds of times while i sew this. 😦 but i finally managed to finish it, and the result is everything i had wished for in a shirt dress. ❤
okay, so this is again a new fabric (God help me!), but my way of making it up is by sewing it immediately, and also dressing it up in multiple ways. dear self, i promise this was not a waste of time & money! 🙂
while writing this post, i searched for other images of dresses with lip & polka dot prints… and found this in ASOS. 😀 yep, that’s exactly the same fabric! but again, i think for me, my version suits me better. 🙂
thank you so much, A, for the Vogue pattern! hope you’ll agree that i’ve put it to a good use!
Oh my! that loooooks amazing! this post made me smile. It look so good! definitely a lot better use, than what I have been doing with it which is stacking them up by my stack of fabrics. Hahaha. Well done you!
ahh, glad you like it! 🙂 i don’t know when i can use the rest of the patterns though, now that my sewing machine is probably dead, snick….
o no! that is ok, I am convinced that you would find a better use of those patterns.
i hope you’re right! i’m not giving up on my dear sewing machine yet though.
It’s very nice and cute. It reminds me a bit of the Marimekko Vintage Mari “Essu”. I think because of the sleeves that look a bit similar as the “essu” and the red and white colour. I hope your sewing machine still is alive 😉
oh, i didn’t even know about the Mari essu! 😀 you’re right, it has the same kind of sleeves, also the colours are similar. thanks for this! ❤
i did a super-cleaning to my sewing machine and also oiled it, hopefully it'll still work next time. *peukut ylös!*
OH WOW!! I love this pattern and your amazing sewing skills!!
thanks so much! i really appreciate your lovely comments, it makes me want to continue sewing & create more things. 🙂
What a fun dress!! I love all the details you added to the pattern, especially cut-out details on the side.. That’s something I would also love to try 🙂
many thanks! yes, do try the cut-out detail, it can give any ‘basic’ dress pattern a new personality. 🙂