I came to get down.

Jump around.
-House of Pain

For some reason, I have the inclination to shout, 'Surprise!'  right now, because you were probably not expecting another dress to pop up after all my griping and moaning about the last one. So...surprise! I made this on a whim when on Saturday night, my beloved Target children's-department jumper, decided it had had enough of my abuse and keeled over. It was like a scene from Tenement. (A play so old and forgotten that it exists nowhere on the internet.) And yes, this is an admission that I haunt the children's department for inexpensive clothing. It was a revelation, the day that I discovered that a girls extra large was the same size as a juniors medium, only more comfortable, easier to move in, and not designed to expose every last bit of junk in my trunk. And when you spend your days following after little ones, picking up exploded bags of M&M's, and rushing in to prevent pre-schoolers from climbing two ton shelves of books...looking hawt is about the last thing on your mind.

I designed the pattern myself, although a great deal of inspiration came from the deceased jumper. Instead of a jersey knit, I chose a soft cotton denim, hoping it would be versatile enough to wear year-round. I plan to add some red sandals and a tank-top for future summery goodness. It took about an hour to sketch and cut out (the bodice is incredibly simple with button/elastic closure in the back, and the body is just a basic rectangle) and one evening to sew. Well, one and some change. It was originally knee-length with low pockets, and I quickly realized that too much length on this style was a one-way ticket to frump town. So I hacked off five inches and moved the pockets up. Now I kind of hate the pockets. They're fine, in principle, but I'm hoping to replace them with some heart shaped ones. Because what's not to love about heart-shaped pockets?  I promise to upload some more detailed shots on to my Flickr account soon, but of course, I was lazy and forgot to charge the camera battery. So for now, this will have to do.

I hope your week has been lovely. Things have been hectic here, but full of goodness. More on that tomorrow.

All love,
*Andrea

Comments

[Creature of Habit]

Check you out! You're going to Funkytown, not Frumpy Town. I love it!

Love the pockets too!

[sharis]

a fabulous design. love. heart shaped pockets sound so cool too. xox

[Robert]

Heh. "One-way ticket to frump town". I think my conviction that you're quite the writer has been borne out in the year-plus since you started blogging.

[emily]

nicely done! the dress is adorable. and i love how you just jumped in and took care of business!

[Alicia A.]

I totally want that. A LOT. :)

[julia]

this is amazing andrea! i totally want to start designing my own patterns, but it scares the crap out of me for some reason. this is totally inspiring. seriously. i love that you just did this.

[sulu-design]

Wow - you and your crafty self are no joke! Cute jumper. And I'm right there with you on scouting out the kid's department. My ridiculously small feet have benefited from the low cost of children's shoes for years. Not sure that my bee-hind could fit into children's clothing though...

[Jeanne]

Nice job my crafty little friend!! I'm very jealous that you can fit into a child's size ANYTHING! I'm feeling a bit pudgy these days. That jumper which looks quite proper on you would resemble something straight out of Ringling Brother on me. Have a great weekend.

[Nik]

Isn't Tenement what they're parodizing in that one sketch of The State??? The "let's get milk-faced and hum like rabbits!" one?

Love you, love the jumper. Have a great weekend Andy-dandy.

[Kelly]

So cute. I love it. And your productivity shames me!

[leslie]

okay. that is just the cutest. EVER!

[amandajean]

wow! it looks fantastic! very impressed over here. :)