My darker cotton house dresses were in constant rotation this summer, so I wanted to make a few more. I had this length of 1930s repro cotton from Riley Blake Design's recent line Basin Feedsacks, so after a little debate, I settled on doing a second version of one of my most loved everyday dresses. I wear the blue one so constantly it is faded by now and probably going to wear out in the near future.

I left off the little collar this time, since it never lays flat and is a source of irritation on the blue dress. I like the plain V much better!

The purple fabric is more of a subtle print, so I hoped the cute little triple-dart shoulder details would show up better here than they do on the blue floral. I think that was successful. Narrow white cotton lace outlines the V yoke.

I also tweaked the neck fit by adding a couple of small darts in the back to pull it in, so it's definitely a better fit than the blue one.

Just for fun, and since this is a house dress, I decided to take the extra step of adding pockets. I echoed the white V on the shoulders with a white V on the pocket flap, and am really glad I took the extra time.

I have really been loving purple lately. It's the perfect September-y transitional color from summer to fall, and always makes me think of the wild asters that bloom lavender this time of year. In her books, some of L. M. Montgomery's characters called wild asters “farewell-summers”, and I just love that old-fashioned, perfectly-descriptive name.

The sun was bright today, so the shaded hay barn made a good backdrop. I like the contrast of gold and purple.

I'm really happy with this dress – the pattern and fabric combination, the fit, the color. It will be a fun splash of color in my everyday wardrobe, and no doubt will be kept as busy as the blue one.