ModCloth-inspired dress

If you follow me on Pinterest, you might have seen this dress before.  I love a lot of ModCloth dresses, but the "Avian Maven" is my current fave.  The patterned sleeves are what pulled me in.  Light colors - let alone prints - are not my first choice for apparel, so putting it on the sleeves looked like a genius idea.

Having more fabric in the box than $$ to spend on a casual dress, it seemed like the obvious thing to do was to try sewing it.  Mom had a piece of bird fabric she let me use.  It was a tad too bright, so I used the reverse side for a more shabby chic look.








 

I happened to have a periwinkle blue skirt partially cut-out already (Simplicity #2366, great pattern).  Combining that with another pattern for the bodice, there was the dress!  I sewed the bodice over spring break (?) and just yesterday added the skirt (yes, I'm one of those procrastinating seamstresses).









The beauty of the Avian Maven design is the relaxed, slightly "homespun" look, easy to replicate at home.  The bodice turned out a little on the large side, but super comfy (and pullover, unlike the Avian, which has a big slit down the back).  The boat neck was an unintended change for the best; it's more flattering on me than scoop neck.

At first I was not too sure about the bell skirt, but in the end, it added a nice feminine accent.

Lately I've become more and more a fan of dresses, at least for spring/summer.  They're so easy, it's a complete outfit in one piece!