Jaime's Petit Odile Dress

I am such a sucker for French General fabrics. We have tons of amazing bright and modern prints in the shop, but something happens to me when I see the muted colors and vintage themes that have come to define French General. It may have to do with my Francophile tendancies and my idealizations of a perfect French countryside life. Whatever it is, I can't resist them. When their newest collection for Moda, "Petit Odile" came in I knew I wanted to make a dress out of this sweet little strawberry print.

If you're a blog reader, you may know we just attended Quilt Market in Kansas City. It is so inspiring to see so many projects! Amy Butler had a dress sewn up in one of her upcoming fabrics using the Miz Mozelle pattern by Jamie Christina and I fell instantly in love with it. This was my first time using a Jamie Christina pattern and it was awesome. The pattern comes with a full color booklet that walks you through the steps which is perfect for new sewists.

I have a hard time with sizing for dresses - my bust size is way different from my hip size so I never fit nicely into one size. I made this dress in a size 8 which fell between my bust/hip difference. Because of the gathered elastic waist, it is very forgiving in the fit. I think next time I could size for my bust and there is enough ease in the pattern to accommodate my hips without any adjustments - good to know if you also have this problem!

I think the design of this pattern works great with the vintage feel of the fabric. I love the bias detailing which is also an easy way to finish the edges. I chose to make my own bias tape out of a Kona solid so I could have the perfect faded red trim. Gathering on the sleeves make them super easy to attach and add even more adorable-ness.

Do you recognize our photo-shoot location? It's the old Fancy Tiger Crafts at 1 S. Broadway which is now a wonderful coffeehouse! Thanks Happy for the great lattes and keeping 1 South awesome!

There are lots of other great prints in the collection to choose from - we can't wait to see what you sew!