made by Julianne

3

ANNIE’S STRIPED DRESS

30 November 2010 by Julianne

Here’s another version of my striped dress, made for my friend Annie. I used a gray and blue striped jersey that we have at Fabric Planet now (brought from the warehouse specifically for this dress!).

Annie requested that the neckline on her’s be a little lower “to shake what is is my mama gave me,” and shake it she does.

The shorter sleeves and lower neck give the dress a 50s ballerina feel, which is why the pockets don’t quite work on this incarnation of the dress. Annie’s dress turned out so well that I was incredibly tempted to make myself another dress with the extra fabric, but I don’t want repeats in my wardrobe, and what scandal there would be if we were to show up at a bar in matching dresses!

Actually now that I think about it, it would be fabulous.

5

A DRESS OF MANY STRIPES

10 November 2010 by Julianne

I’m usually not a fan of long-sleeved dresses. To me, they tend to look either juvenile, matronly, or 80s (or all three!). So when I came across a designer dress that was hip and warm I jumped at the chance to replicate it.

So yes, technically this dress is a knockoff of Wendy Mullin’s Weimar dress. Of course I made some changes to the design: full-length sleeves, a tighter fit in the top, and I rotated the skirt pattern so that the stripes would run vertically (this completely transformed the way the dress looked on me).

I used a thick white and navy jersey I got from JJ Fabrics in the Fashion District (JJ is Fabric Planet’s downtown location). I used 3 yards of material, although I could maybe do it in 2.

I’ve been so happy with this dress. On warmer days (the temperature’s been fluctuating like crazy in LA) I can wear it alone, but for colder days or evenings at the beach it’s great with leggings and a sweater. I’m looking forward to getting lots of use out of this.

I drew up a pattern as I made this dress, which is pretty straight-forward. The sleeves and the body of the top are one piece, with two pieces making the front. The skirt is just a 50″ rectangle of fabric sewn into a tube and gathered at the top with elastic, which is then sewn to the body.

I made another dress in a similar fabric for a NOLA friend, and I’m currently working on a plaid version for my boss/buddy in LA, so stay tuned for those.

1

BLACK UNDIES

25 October 2010 by Julianne

While it’s no secret that I’m a big fan of rainbow, when it comes to my non-Burning Man underwear I’m a little more monotone. I prefer to keep it simple, so that’s why my new undies are all the same easy to care for color: black.

They are awkwardly modeled by a pillow, and yes, the pillow has pubes.

They’re really more of a bikini-style cut than they look on the pillow. I was able to get five pairs out of about 1 yard of slinky cotton jersey from Fabric Planet. I made the pattern myself a few months ago and have finally gotten it tweaked to perfection. I’m able to make the most comfortable undies that fit me perfectly without ever seeing a label or size. The different elastics keep things from getting too boring in my top drawer.