My atomic print aspirations.

Next up in my rotation is this lovely full skirted shirt dress of sorts, made out of this fun and happy red, white, and blue cloth. I love the fabric. It is an old duvet cover I picked up at the thrift store for $5, so I am using it for the muslin, in secret hopes that it can double as a real dress upon completion. I think the print might count as a "1950's atomic print" although I have to confess that I honestly do not know what that means. From what I can tell, "atomic print" means a semi-busy, smallish, colorful, geometrically inspired print that must in some way look futuristic to a 1950's mindset. I think the futuristic part is important...that's the best I can come up with, as I imagine the 1950's seamstress to believe anything seeming nuclear related was futuristic.

I really lucked out on this pattern, it is a size 46, bust 48 inches, and exactly my size in its original form. Plus, it is vintage, has a circle skirt, and doesn't involve set in sleeves or a sewn-on collar. I am in heaven! All of my 1950's day dress fantasies may come true with this garment. I am excited for the skirt. As you can see from the photo it is constructed with panels at the hips and a center panel that angles in down the center. I hope it is simultaneously slimming AND gives the illusion that I have fuller hips and an hour glass shape.

Starting this dress comes with the price of abandoning an older project. After careful though and quite a bit of time in front of a mirror, I am going to abandon my early 1960's dress with the pleated gathers from earlier this fall. It was my first full bust adjustment, and I did work incredibly hard to achieve the soft gathers at the shoulders and bust, but the more I try on the muslin, the more I feel like I am dressing as a Mormon fundamentalist's polygamous wife, and that is NEVER the look I am going for. So, for now the project is scrapped. It is a shame to waste so many hours on a project that will not reach fruition, but it is an even bigger shame to waste $70 and five yards of beautiful fabric. I hope to recycle the fabric originally purchased for this dress into the atomic print's pattern. I think it will be a good summertime dress.

As you can see below I already conducted a full bust adjustment on the bodice front, and after adding a few inches to the skirt I think I will be in business and ready to sew. All I need is to get my hands on a cutting table and a rolling blade, and consider this dress as good as finished. I think I will use french seem binding, even though this is only a muslin. I feel that good about the pattern.

I should not get too excited, as I have become superstitious that the level of my excitement somehow correlates to the difficulty of the dress. The more excited I am, the less likely the garment will work out on my body or with my skills. However, this just has lots of promise. Think positive thoughts for me.