Project Notes: Salina Dress

It seems like every other post is me apologizing for not having blogged in forever. And while I do enjoy writing and interacting with all of you (you're seriously the best followers anyone could ask for, and your support means the world to me), it's been really good to take a break from this space, because three years after I started this blog, I think I've finally discovered what I want this space to be.

I started this blog to share my love of crafting, with the goal of eventually having the readership and influence of sites like Doll Diaries. Over that time, as my focus and writing have changed, it's always been about what will attract a certain readership base, what will help me reach Internet fame/a job/etc. And while fame isn't necessarily a bad thing, I felt like I had to present myself and shape my posts a certain way to create this Internet presence or persona that would be desirable. And while it was fun for a while, I've grown and changed a lot as a person, and it doesn't feel authentic anymore.

This January, I finally started using Instagram (paper.doll.world), and decided that I was going to focus on posting a picture every day instead of thinking about how many likes it got or the number of followers I had. That mentality has made me a lot happier, and I want to apply it here. So no more thinking about "how would X write this post?" or "how will X post affect my branding?" but "what makes me happy?" I think this blog will be better for it.

All right, now for the real reason you're here: this dress! I had the urge to try out this pattern a while back, and thought that this gray and white remnant in my fabric box would be perfect.

Fabric: a silky white knit for the lining, and a sheer gray and white geometric pattern knit. They draped well, and if I had more of the gray fabric I would probably use it again with this pattern. The only problem that I had with it was that since the fabric was so thin, it was difficult to tear out stitches without creating holes in the fabric in the process.

This pattern is described as easy, and that's a pretty fair assessment. The one area where I ran into a bit of trouble was the bodice, and I think that was because my machine was not happy about trying to sew two to four layers of stretchy knit. Next time I think I'll cut the bodice all as one piece to avoid this issue.

I wasn't quite sure how long I wanted the skirt to be, so I just cut it as long as the fabric would allow, and then adjusted from there. This is what it looked like pre-adjustment - not exactly the look I was going for, although now I'm tempted to try a maxi dress in the future.

After I decided on a length, I hemmed both pieces of fabric and attached them to the bodice. I cut them after I made the casing for the elastic, which might seem a little silly but worked quite well.

The best part of the dress for me is the inside. 

That back seam is actually straight, it just looks wonky in the photo

All the raw edges are either enclosed or finished, and the armholes and neckline are topstitched. The stripes match in the back. In terms of getting the technical details right, this is probably the best thing I've ever made, and I'm very proud of it.

And the best part: both the dress and Isabelle will be up for sale soon! I'll share more details once I have time to set that up, but let me know if you're interested in either Isabelle or the dress. 
EDIT: dress and doll have found a new home, but hopefully more doll clothes will be for sale soon

Any suggestions for what to sew next?