The Great Kitten Rescue!

Chiffon Polka-Dot Dress

 
   My husband said that this dress was his favorite that I've ever made to date. I was completely floored when he made that statement one day. I always make conservative clothing for myself, and that's what I feel most comfortable in. I wasn't showing a bounty of cleavage or leg, so I'm not exactly sure, out of the many dress I've made over the years, what puts this one at the top.
   Perhaps because it's made of a slinky chiffon and the dress is tailored a bit more form-fitting than others, but still with a full skirt. The dress is entirely lined with a light weight muslin since the chiffon was too sheer, or perhaps on the day in question, it was a toasty summer day and I had decided not to wear my retro petticoat underneath for any added fullness.

Anyhow, the construction of this dress was certainly a test of my patience. The bodice panels are all ruched, which I had to mount on the muslin for support. When it came time to assemble the bodice, I had trouble with the edges of the chiffon fraying, I had to overlock the raw seams numerous times to ensure I had the wispy, tattered edges covered.
   For the shoulder strap, I knew I wanted them to be wide, so I could wear a supportive bra. I'm not entirely happy with the straps, I feel they are too wide, and feel as though they throw off the proportion ratio. I ended up tying lengths of ribbon over the shoulder straps, at the crest of the shoulders to gather in the width of the shoulder strap, which I like the appearance of much better.
   I adjusted the princess seaming sightly, and the rest of the dress went together peachy.
 
   Belt : Modern from Lane Bryant.
   Sweater: I've had in my collection for a long time, and altered it to a shorter length.
   Shoes: Mod Cloth.
   Purse: from my vintage collection.     

(EDITED) My Uncharted DIY Retro Fish Swim Suit

My retro fish printed swim dress was definitely a challenging, but fun to make, and a blast to wear.
   My goal was a conservative design, all too often I see women wearing suits that are far too revealing. You certainly don't have to dress like an aquatic nun, but I don't really want people viewing me practically naked as I enjoy the summer sun.
   I used a old bra for the bodice structure, another thing I don't appreciate aside from too-revealing swimwear, is an unsupported chest. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about women being liberated from having to conform to what society deems "flattering" for your body type. I'm all about confidence, and loving your body as it is, and everyone should be able have the option to choose to wear what they want. But I personally consider the built-in underwire structure in a bathing suit to be a sign of a well-made, well-designed article of swimwear. Also, I just prefer my chest to be as supported as possible, and between you and me, my geese have permanently flown south! ;)
   The swim dress is fully lined and made from cotton, fish print fabric, with a one-piece swim suit underneath, made form a four-way stretch scuba knit. The ruffle at the neckline of the bodice is of the same scuba knit fabric.
   The real trouble is when I got to the fish midriff back pieces, being made of cotton, they didn't stretch, yet the back bands of the bra, did. I needed the midriff back pieces to stretch with the bra, so I ended up creating tubes of fabric that I used to cover the elastic bands of the bra, something similar to bunched up socks, when worn the tubes would stretch to length, but sill covered the bra bands and looked cohesive. The only sections of the original bra that will remain visible, are the bra connectors at the center back, and the adjustable elastic shoulder straps with the sliders. Be sure to use a bra with a complimentary color to your fabric so it doesn't look too unsightly.     
   The skirt was the simplest to make, a circle skirt that I hemmed to length.
   The only foreseeable problems with this swim dress is that the chlorinated water may bleach out your fabric over time.     
   The full tutorial on how to make this same retro swim dress is on my channel.

My Uncharted DIY Retro Fish Swim Suit

New Orleans Trip 2018/We Spotted A Sunken Ship!