Simplicity 3475: Vintage Video Game Vixen

This is a dress I made last winter, but I’m finding that I really prefer to wear crazy novelty dresses during the summer as opposed to any other season. It’s definitely summer, so it seems like a good time to finally get this one recorded on the blog.

I originally saw this fabric made up as a dress over here. My not-so-hidden inner geek just couldn’t resist having one of my own.

Though I do have the same Blue Ginger Doll pattern as the inspiration dress, I thought an exact copy might show a lack of imagination on my part. Instead, I used vintage Simplicity 3475 for the bodice and threw a really full gathered skirt (with side seam pockets) on it. I like the v-neck back of this pattern, it’s very Grace Kelly, or at least it could be if made up in different fabric. I’m fairly certain Grace Kelly never wore a Pac-Man Dress.

I’m not so sure about the front on this pattern on me. The squareness just doesn’t want to hold when I move around; it wants to gap a little when I’m not standing up with my arms at my sides. Maybe if I narrowed it just a pinch across the top front neckline the next time I make it up it would pull it in the needed amount. I originally bought this pattern planning to make it up with the collar and the slim skirt from the pattern, but haven’t got around to it.

Like many great novelty prints, the fabric is just quilting cotton. It has lots of body, but no drape. The gathered skirt is perfect for this type of fabric, especially with a fluffy crinoline.I’ve been wanting to improve my photography skills. This is the first set of blog photos where I put my camera into fully manual mode. I always squint when I push a camera remote, so I had Guinevere helping me out with these pictures, pushing buttons, making sure I was in the shot, and giving me opinions about whether things are too blurry or too bright. I’ve noticed she also really tries hard to get me to smile when she takes blog photos for me, more so than anyone else in the family when I enlist their help with blog pics. Unfortunately, things like small wrinkles, pushed out facings, peeking out straps, and misplaced hair aren’t so much picked up by her, so even the best pictures have some of these small imperfections. Still, I think we captured some good shots together today.

This is a project from last year posted extremely late, so I can’t count it for stash-busting.