The Recoleta Dress

Well hello again!  This is getting a bit embarrassing... I always have the very best of intentions to post and then somehow another few weeks goes by and I don't do it and then I casually saunter back into the blogosphere with another new Itch to Stitch* pattern.  I do other crafty things besides test for Kennis.  Really I do!  One of these days I will hopefully get around to sharing some of those other things...

But today is not that day.  Today is the latest pattern from Itch to Stitch and I am really looking forward summery weather that I can wear it in! (It was only 5C the day I took my photos.  I would have appreciated some summery weather l tell you! Brrrrr.)  

Let me introduce you to the Recoleta Dress. 

Recoleta is in the new Itch to Stitch size range of 00-40 and A-DD cup sizes. It's a empire waisted dress that gets it's shaping thanks to bodice and skirt darts.  It features short or 3/4 length sleeves and has a pretty split neckline.  The neckline is completely faced (and enclosed) which has got me thinking of doing a version with some floral embroidery on it... maybe in a lightweight denim...

Sorry.  I was just daydreaming there.  There are just so many projects I want to sew and so very little time to do them in.  So.  Back at the project at hand.

I chose to make my Recoleta out of a Rose and Hubble Cotton poplin.  I bought it a few summers ago at the Fabricland in the city because I loved the little flamingos marching across it.  Then I had no idea what to make with it, so into my stash bin it went.  I actually had forgotten about it until I went looking for something suitable for my dress.

After I cut out my pattern, I came to two revelations.  The first one being that my flamingos were indeed marching in neat little rows across my fabric.  My second revelation that came close on the heels of the first was that those rows basically acted and stripes and I hadn't given a blessed thought to matching the pattern up at all when I cut it out.  With disappointment at certain looming pattern matching disaster I sat down to sew.  I can not express how shocked I was to find out that somehow my lines were matching up.  Coincidental pattern matching is not something that ever happens for me.  Did I mention it NEVER happens??? I'm the one that will end up with a inconveniently placed flower or a two headed animal, or... well you get the idea.

The one place the pattern did not match up was on one of sets of front neckline.  Easy peasy solution?  Make the unmatched set my facing.  Only I know! (well and now all of you too, but whatever.  Only I will ever see it so that's what counts!)

The only changes I made to the pattern were that I added my standard 1 1/2" of length to the bodice and then I took off 1 1/2" from the bottom hem.  That's all!  I love that I can always count on ITS patterns to pretty much fit from the get go!

I'm pretty happy too that my Flamingo Recoleta goes perfectly with my red clogs and my red Sunshower cardi!

If you're wanting to pick up your copy of Recoleta, it is on sale now for the release week over on the Itch to Stitch site!