Blush Fabric Tour

If any of y’all are like me, you might be feeling a little less than enthusiastic about the dropping temperatures. Though I love the boots, chunky scarves, and sweaters that come along with Autumn, I’m not much for the drop in temperatures – especially the crisp weather starts to turn into a winter chill! If you’re longing for sunny days, don’t worry – I’m here to brighten your mood with Dana Willard’s Blush fabrics, her most recent collection through Art Gallery fabrics.

I mean seriously. Just look at all of these. Don’t they just have you feeling a little brighter and cozier already?

I was super honored when Dana asked me to participate in the fabric tour for her Blush fabric line, but had a rough time choosing what to sew up! My first idea (as always) was a bright colored cotton for a fit and flare dress! There are so many beautiful things to be made up of all of those gorgeous cottons – just imagine those hexagons and cats sewn up into something fabulous!! As I looked through the rest of the fabrics, the warm-weather loving summer girl in me immediately made plans to turn that rayon into a swishy short-sleeved maxi dress. Ultimately, though, I decided to go a different route. My desire to become a little more familiar with knits, paired with the fact that I knew I was going to want to wear this fabric immediately and all the time, led me to choose this buttery soft knit for a Colette Moneta.

Good choice? Yep.

I’ve actually never sewn a Moneta before! This (like the Emery, which I posted about recently) is another one of those patterns that is so well loved throughout the sewing community, that you just can’t resist purchasing it. I knew that I would use it someday, but for the longest time knits have just seemed so daunting. I’ve been spreading my wings a little lately, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to make that Moneta.

Now that I’ve become familiar with the 3-step zigzag stitch on my machine, as well as my double needle, I felt more confident going into this project. I started with the bodice, and when the hemmed neckline came out this nice, I knew I was going in the right direction!

The clear elastic waistband was a first for me, and I won’t lie, it isn’t the most well done part of this dress. I’ve read up a bit more on the technique though, and I’m looking forward to tackling it again here pretty soon. If you have any wonderful tips, tricks, or blogs I should know about with regards to elastic waistbands, please feel free to comment them below!!

The fabric itself was glorious to work with. As always, this Art Gallery knit is incredibly soft and spongy. I was tempted multiple times to stop working on my project and just take a nap with it instead. I did not find that the fabric stretches or becomes misshapen quickly or easily throughout the natural evolution of the project. At the end, for the most part, everything ended up pretty much where it was intended. I’ve always been a woven girl, but I could happily build myself a super soft, comfy, and stylish wardrobe out of knits if they were all this wonderful! My only concern with the knits is the potential for color fading. What do you do to keep your knits bright and beautiful??

This dress, as I expected, has been worn often since I finished it. It looks right at home at a cute brunch out with friends and family, but transitions easily to a comfy Sunday on the couch watching Netflix. The colors in the dress are seasonally appropriate, but still give me a glimmer of the warmer months that I prefer! The colors also look lovely with the cognac color leather that all my shoes seem to be made out of this time of the year. Best of all? I’m going to be able to wear this to Thanksgiving, with plenty of room for a little turkey!!

DETAILS:

dress: handmade by me

pattern: Colette – Moneta Dress

fabric: Floret Honeydew Knit from Blush Fabrics by Dana Willard for Art Gallery Fabrics

This won’t be the last you’ll see of the Blush Fabric collection around here – I can’t let all my other ideas go to waste! Until I get a chance to sew another lovely something up, check out some of the other incredible things the rest of the sewing community has whipped up with this great fabric line on instagram, or the Blush Fabrics lookbook!! You can also check out Dana’s post for more information on the fabric line and where to purchase. Can’t wait to see what everyone else whips up with these gorgeous designs!

• XX Elizabeth