sewing the time away

this weekend began with a sick day, starting with friday's cough and sore throat. i stayed home, but being that i get stir crazy after a few hours, i felt it was time to make a new summer dress. this is not the first time i've made a dress while stranded at home. a year ago while quarantined for a week with poison oak, i made a 3/4 length sleeve empire waist dress out of vintage fabric. the print was of white daisies amidst a bright green and orange background. it was aptly named the 'poison ivy' dress. i had sketched a dress a few months ago that originally would use a dark blue satin. instead i chose a mint green daisy print. i had in mind the simple feminine dress that wendy peffercorn wore in the sandlot.i began with a sketch: though it was more detailed than wendy's, its still a simple cotton dress.
i drew the body, paul drew the head...the pleats would prove to be the most difficult aspect. i had to tear out a few sets of seams. i was able to tuck the straps into the middle pleat seam, AND the chest darts are hidden by the outer pleats! once the top was finished, i moved on to the skirt, which i decided to pleat also. i added pockets hidden in the side seam. the zipper took a few tries, and being that my old machine was having issues with the cotton, i went over the zipper seams a few times... lastly, i hand-stitched the hem, which hits a few inches above the knee. to hem dresses, i usually use the width of my thumbnail as a guide. now i need a nice warm day to debut!