I like quick and easy projects because they are so satisfying! This is the 3rd time I have used this pattern for a dress. Neither of the earlier versions opened down the front, so I can't wear them right now. Yet they were a summertime favorite, especially my fireworks dress – so flattering and comfortable to wear. Time to make another one I can wear now.

The fabric I chose for model number 3 was a piece of quilting cotton I got on eBay a while back. I absolutely love it, and it probably is one of the only pieces with orange in it in my collection, orange NOT being my color. Yet as polka dots, scattered with blue dots in the print, it is cheery without clashing with my preferred color scheme, and I actually like it!

The cotton is apparently high quality, since it wrinkles very little when washed – definitely a bonus for an everyday dress.

Since this was my 3rd time making this dress, it went very rapidly. I probably made it in a few hours, even with hand hemming the sleeves and skirt. (Incidentally, a barn background and straw on the ground makes for a very…realistic…backdrop for a house dress! 🙂

It only has 4 pieces to cut out – front, back, sleeve, and collar. The front and back are shaped by darts (easy to adjust for a perfect fit), so it also looks nice without a belt, which is ideal for hot weather. 

The other interest is a bit of shirring at the neck, which adds that bit of cute vintage style to an otherwise simple cotton dress.

Plus the sleeve tabs! Those were my own addition, in keeping with common 1930s dress decorations, just to make it a bit different than the earlier versions and more interesting. It's also a great way to display a few cute buttons. I only had four of these small green round ones, and the color match was perfect – it was meant to be.

I chose some off-white corduroy for the contrast collar and tabs, which is actually the same collar fabric I used for the gray version of this dress. The bonus of using the same contrast for both is that I can wear the same belt with both and it matches!

The other versions I altered to open down the back instead of with a side zipper. No use in wasting those nice princess seams and wriggling in and out with a side zipper. But this one I altered to open with an invisible zipper in the front instead so I can nurse in it. The collar hides the zipper tab very nicely.

I like making and wearing this pattern enough that I expect even more versions will be made at some point.

It was so simple and quick there's not much to tell about it, but I certainly enjoy wearing it, and the print makes me smile. It must be one of my favorite green prints I've ever seen, and I'm very glad I bought it since it's even prettier in person. The pleasing combination of print and pattern means this dress definitely will be much in rotation in my wardrobe this summer!