Fruit Dress: Vintage Simplicity 2507

This dress has all my favorite things in it, rick rack, fruit prints, and spinning ability. So obviously its amazing. I needed a dress for a fashion show for the class I've been teaching since January, Project Fabricland. It's a Project Runway inspired competition for students ages 10-18. They each had to design and sew an outfit inspired by a dessert.  

My class with Sonjia Williams fro Project Runway All Stars

The dress is a vintage pattern, Simplicity 2507, but with a gathered skirt. I was afraid the fruit print was going to look weird with the paneled skirt. Plus vintage patterns are so long and I didn't feel like chopping off a million inches. I had to make the bodice bigger, and do a fba. So it was stupid to even buy the pattern I could have just copied the picture. Whatever. I seem to snatch up any vintage pattern that has an opportunity for rick rack.

The fruit print is a quilt weight cotton, as soon as it came off the UPS truck at work, I knew I had to have it. I love love love a fruit print, but I am very particular about it. I don't like it when they look lifelike, they have to look vintage kitschy. I snatched up four yards for this dress, and ended up needing more. I made the skirt SUPER gathered. Its four panels of the fabric 45" wide. It's excessive, but makes for great twirling. 

This print looks like a picnic, so the gingham rick rack was a must. I also made deep patch pockets, to fit my iphone, and because pockets are a place to put MORE rick rack. I was planning on putting rick rack on the hem, but I stopped myself. So now I have 5 extra yards of black gingham rick rack.

I bodice is a skosh too big, and about a quarter of an inch too long, but I think the skirt is heavy and pulling it down. I also made a big hem, because I love they way it looks, its about 4.5".  If you follow me on Instagram, you have seen my watermelon shoes I bought a few days before this fabric came in, making a match made in heaven!