how much is that doggie in the window?

i might as well just write it on my forehead: i ❤ dogs.

self-made dress, Zara leggings, Just Kulkith shoes, second hand belt from UFF, Evita Peroni hairclip.

and since i can’t commit myself to actually having a dog, this dress will do for now. i mean… there’s enough dogs for me to look & squeal at!

the moment i saw this digiprint dog fabric, i knew i just had to get it. i don’t even care if it makes me look childish. after all, i am young at heart. 😉

for the pattern, i used an Aquilano Rimondi dress pattern that you can find on the January 2014 issue of Burda Style magazine (pattern no. 124).

though i love this dog fabric, i can easily see myself getting a doggie overload unless i combine it with another fabric. luckily, i still had a fair amount of this knit fabric i used for this top. i used it for the center back pieces. i added sleeves to the dress, omitted the zipper, lace-up at the back, appliqué at the bottom of the skirt, the turtleneck, and the bottom panel of the skirt. instead, i made the top panel of the skirt longer.

i used size 38 for the dress, because when i measured my current body size it fell into the size 38 category. even when i measured the pattern, it seemed like size 38 was the right one for me. but when the dress was done, it was too big! oh, what a nice surprise, i guess i am still size 36 after all. 😀 (actually, maybe it has to do with the fact that the dog fabric is cotton jersey and together with the knit fabric they are quite stretchy.)

i also did not add any band/tape to the seams at the front part of the dress (as it was supposed to be). i wanted the focus to stay on the dogs, of course.

for the back side, i put 2 layers of the knit fabric because it was otherwise too sheer for comfort. a simple dress that you can wear to work is always good to have.

i look like a 6 year old at a friend’s birthday party, putting on my best dress. 😀 but so what. the most important thing is that i love what i wear. and of course, it’s super comfy, too.

and anyway, who says i can’t make it look more grown-up if i want to?

my trying-to-look-more-grown-up look.

mm-hm, i’m very happy with the result of my first sewing project of 2015. it’s those dogs. they always make me happy, no matter what.