Socialite Dress

ven though I still have patterns coming out my ears and I HAVE been making some of them into actual garments, I find I'm having a hard time committing.  I have fabric to make at least three more garments, but I'm just not totally sure which fabric should make which garment.

So, instead of using the fabric and patterns you have, you should just buy another pattern and more fabric to make it with, right?  That's my logic.

Above All Fabric had a sale today - BOGO half-off patterns.  I went right for the Oliver + S.  I've had some of Leisl Gibson's lovely City Weekend knit in a soft pink just waiting for the Hopscotch pattern to be made into a cute shirt for my 3 year old.  It's been waiting and waiting because the Oliver + S patterns don't go on sale and I can't just use my Hancocks 40% off coupon.
$16 is a bit hard to swallow, since I could buy a couple or three items of clothing for her with that amount.  So, as I mentioned, Above All Fabric was having a sale that essentially made this pattern half off, but I couldn't find a second pattern I wanted... until.... the Anna Maria Horner patterns were added to the sale later in the day.
A Ha!  here's my chance to get something for my girl and a little something else for me on the side.  I picked up the Socialite Dress pattern for myself and, in it, saw the chance to purchase and use some of my favorite Amy Butler fabric.  I've been salivating over Trumpet Flowers for some time.  I have toyed with the idea of making a pillow cover or floor cushion or SOMETHING with this fabric, but, alas, the colors just don't go anywhere in my house.

So I'll just WEAR them, doggonit!

I wouldn't normally pick a home dec. weight fabric for a dress, but Anna Maria herself seems to suggest that it would be ok by using her own home dec. fabric in pictures of the dress. 

I actually wasn't a big fan of this dress until I started looking at examples from the Anna Maria Sewing Pattern group on Flickr.  Unbelted, I think it looks like a sack.  Belted, it's easy elegance.  Not something that describes my wardrobe, but definitely a direction I'd like to be headed.

I've got to start a queue for my sewing patterns.... all I can say right now is that I'm so excited about finally getting the chance to use this fabric that this pattern I don't even have in my possession yet has jumped to the top of the list.

Probably before I make this, I'll make another Jamie Dress in some fabric I picked up at Jo-Ann's while I was in Atlanta some weeks ago.  I'm so enjoying wearing the first one I made!

Update: dress photos and full review here.