Dress Design for Shabby Apple dresses.

I've been wanting to challenge myself by sewing clothes for myself, and I've had this dress in my head for a while, but I just haven't had the motivation to put the two together. Then I saw this from Shabby Apple and thought...hmmm...

I love Shabby Apple dresses.

I should do that.

It's a contest. You design a dress {you don't have to sew it; you can draw it} and they pick their 15 favorites. Then we get to vote on our favorite and it becomes part of their Spring line! very cool.

I've run across some other entries online and have just about chickened out, because they're awesome. Beautifully designed and made. {I don't think I know how to sew. I'm a fraud.} But I'm trying to remember the advice I was given by Miss Montana in the Miss America pageant I watched when I was 13...Don't try and be the best because there's always someone better than you. just smile and try. And vaseline your teeth.

{no thanks.}

So I'm doing it.

Just to try.

The dress:

It's made out of a soft gray baby silk; I wanted something "flowy" with a natural drape, and comfortable!

I needed a dress I could squat down to toddler level in without splitting something.

And it had to have pockets! Pockets are a must when you've got kids handing you wrappers and love notes and grasshoppers all the time.

I like loose fitting stuff. It's hard to find a flattering dress that's not tight and fitted, accentuating the nice long thin waisted curvy women of the world. I have a short, cushy, pencil waist, so tight doesn't work well for me. This does. My muffin top thanks me.

I learned a lot from making this dress. Mostly, I love my seam ripper. We're bff's.