Hello and happy warm weather everyone! I don't know about you but here in Portland we are in that funny phase of weather where you get a few crazy hot days in the spring and you think it's summer even though 90% of the time it's still raining and chilly. In any case, I've got the bug and I'm getting ready for the warm weather with some sewing projects. I was going to take advantage of the rain before it's consistently hot and I want to be outside playing but I think I may have already missed that boat.
First off, what's better for warm weather than a halter dress? I don't know... maybe lots of things but as far as what to wear, I love a halter dress. Last summer I released the Rose City Halter dress pattern a little too late in the season and as a result, it didn't get the love I think it deserved. So... I'm revisiting it before I get too far into this summer.
I've recently been obsessed with this burnt orange/blood orange color that I've seen out there. I decided to make my Rose City Halter in that color in a solid cotton to keep it simple. I had absolutely no trouble finding the color - just went to the quilting section at Fabric Depot and found it in the solids - Robert Kaufman Kona cotton terracotta. Actually - I think it's terracotta but I'm not sure. I forgot to take note of it when I bought it. Anyhow, a handful of hours later I had sewn up my dress but... I wasn't in love with it. I've sewn this pattern so many times and I always love how it looks on however, this time for some reason, the skirt seemed too stiff - I made version A by the way. Maybe I was expecting a little less poof with my solid sophisticated color. I started to flatten it down with my hands a bit, then a bit more, then harder and more extreme until I took the thing off and started twisting it! I wasn't planning on making a crinkled broomstick style skirt but it just happened and it looked great in my opinion -and very easy to do too! I started at the waist (being careful not to crinkle the bodice) and just started twisting. I twisted until it curled up in a knot and then I rubber banded it together. I dabbled a bit of water on it as well. It would probably be best to spray a little mist of water on the skirt before you start crinkling. I left it that way for about 5 hours and it crinkled right up. I haven't washed it yet but I figure I'll just twist it again and store it with the rubber band on it after washing. I read that you should store the skirt portion in panty hose or tights to keep it crinkled. I think I'm going to try some other crinkled projects this summer as well. I'll keep you posted.
The skirt has been twisted so much that it forms a knot. I secured with a rubber band.
My movie star pose - and my unruly hair.