Hmmm, a totally unromantic, slightly ridiculous and definitely a whaaaat?! title for a dress but to my mind it was just the obvious choice! See, when we knew Clara was coming along I looked out Sienna’s old dog mattresses (yes, doing this did evoke lots of feels) so as to re-cover them for the new arrival… I had a teeny bit of green upholstery fabric left from a previous re-upholstering job, enough for the smallest mattress, but needed some more for the other two, much bigger mattresses. So off I hopped to Spotlight and bought some lovely bright yellow cotton canvas… our current lounge room colour scheme is all wood, white, neutrals and with spots of yellow and obviously the most important thing about dog beds is that they co-ordinate nicely with not just your dog but the decor too… 😉
After I’d finished, there were a few bits and bobs leftover, too much to throw away and to my delight I discovered the pieces for Vogue 1316 fitted on them, just. No further incentive required, but off I went, snip snip…
from left: future dress, scraps… and maybe, shoes…?
This interpretation of the pattern; a one colour dress with contrasting strips to highlight the seaming of the design has always been one I had in mind to make some day… only I’d originally pictured white corduroy and with black inset strips to highlight. But yellow/navy is fine with me. The inset strips are actually navy blue, the leftovers from the voile binding I dyed especially to make my recent Sydney jacket. So, it’s pretty much a free dress, something from nothing… the only thing I bought was the zip. Waste not want not!
So, ta da! what more is there to say?
The fabric is super fray-tastic, so my first step was to overlock every single edge. The method I used for the inset strips is the exact same method I used for my Swedish dress, … my tutorial for this is here. The very high contrast between the yellow and the navy meant even the slightest bit of “off” sewing was immediately very very obvious, so I was super precise and accurate in my sewing here. That’s OK, because I really do love precision work in sewing 🙂
my tip for lining up seams perfectly: only stitch a few cm, and check to see everything is as it should be before stitching the remainder of the seam on either side
pocketses!
I also adapted the pattern so I could have my pockets inside that curved front seam; an adaption I’ve made every single time I’ve made the pattern… if you want to see how I did that, the pictures of the pattern pieces are here. I did take a little extra finagling to do the pockets with the inset strip, which along that front edge is of course a binding, and not an inset strip, so it’s a slightly different method… to see how I did that, see my tutorial here. Different dress, but it’s essentially the same technique!
For the neckline, the lower hem and the sleeve edges, I trimmed away the seam allowance and simply bound the edges with the same bias binding. Simple dimple!
My dog bed dress is unlined… I didn’t think there was any need for it with the nice sturdy canvas fabric. My previous denim-jeans, version of the pattern is unlined too, and I think that’s fine for a more summer-y, casual style of dress. Lining is not much fun when the weather is warm.
Haha, it’s funny; this kind of project, with tacky, unprecious fabric, that I just kind of get this idea in my mind and I jut wanna go for it! often turns out to be my favourite kind of project. I sure enjoyed making this one, and I know I’m going to love wearing it too.
Below is how I wore it for its maiden voyage… Craig forced my hand into revealing it early when he chose it for the last day of my “their choice” challenge. I’m like, but I haven’t blogged it yet!! … usually I like to take some “nice” photos, you know… well serves me right for being lazy. I like my navy cardigan with it but don’t think I would ordinarily choose these sandals to go with it 😉
My previous four versions of this great pattern are here, here, here and here…
Details:
Dress; Vogue 1316, cotton canvas, voile strips to highlight seamlines
Tights; made by me, details here, and my tutorial for making your own custom-fit tights pattern is here
Boots; nylon, from Zomp shoes
Cardigan (above); knitted by me, the Miette, details here
Sandals (above): akiel, bought from an op shop a gazillion yonks ago
extra pictures just because Clara’s looking adora-bubs
STUNNING! Both dress and dog… I love both!
thank you so much Angela! 🙂
If I remember right, this is your 4th… or 5th version of this dress?? I am SO inspired! This might be my favorite version 🙂 time for me to sew another one too!!
thank you so much Juebejue! yes, this is my fifth version of the pattern! clearly I’m completely addicted to it, hehe 🙂
Lovely! How are the cats adapting to miss C?
thank you Sarah! bit stand-offish at first, but they’re coming around 🙂
Gorgeous dress. No one would believe it’s made from scraps – I love it more for that very reason .
Clara is clearly enjoying life. Hugs from me .
thank you so much Kim! 🙂
gorgeous dress….. amazing detailing
thank you! 🙂
Gorgeous dress, and a great color for you! Miss Clara is cute as a button.
thank you! she is indeed 🙂
This is the BEST version of this pattern I have ever seen. Fantastic!
aw, thank you so much Lynn! 🙂 xx
I thought this dress was amazing given its humble origins. It’s lovely that you coordinate with Clara’s bed too!
thank you Sue! it’s funny how sometimes the humblest of origins can lead to the most enjoyable projects! I think it’s the complete lack of fear that you’re going to stuff up something precious 🙂
I had forgotten about this technique and have just reread your tutorial. Now I’m itching to try it on something! I love how the design lines are highlighted in this version, especially at the back. Gorgeous!
thank you so much Megan! xx 🙂
Such a great dress. I love the piped accents. And, of course, Clara. She’s too adorable!
thank you Evie! xx
That pup looks so good against yellow! Definitely a good choice 🙂 Lovely dress too, I love a solid version of this pattern!
thank you Kelly! I agree, her grey/blue looks so chic against the yellow, which is exactly why I chose it! 🙂
I felt a delightful giggle burbling up as soon as I saw you in this dress – I thought, “oh Caroline will be in heaven making this dress!! All those fiddly bits and precision sewing!” It’s gorgeous! The only way you can have a dress like this is if you make it yourself – the fit is just too exacting to ever find it anywhere else. Love that bright yellow canvas and navy highlighting and of course Clara’s new bed – it looks like she appreciates the work you put into her treat too 🙂
thanks so much Kathleen! haha, yes Clara is definitely appreciative of all the finer things in life… #chewchew 😀
Such a great dress! And I love that you call it the dog bed dress.
thanks Masha! sometimes you just gotta call it for what is is, yeah?! 🙂
Wow – this looks fantastic – I really love this pattern and the way you’ve highlighted the seams here is amazing. Great work.
thank you very much Jenny! 🙂
You are a genius!!! Love
thank you! 🙂
great dress for anytime of the year
thank you 🙂
Your ability to create something amazing from what most people would consider trash never ceases to amaze me! The piping is perfect, it really makes it pop!
thank you Becky 🙂
Gorgeous dress and all that precision sewing has paid off. I also would have struggled with throwing that away and this dress with is perfect small pieces made it all possible. Clara is a good girl on her bed, I suppose we just let Tomba get away with murder when he jumps on the lounge 🙂
thank you Sharon! Clara is mostly a good girl; the lounge is MOST DEFINITELY off limits!
My favourite projects tend to be the ones made out of leftovers as well. There really is something quite satisfying about conquering pattern tetris and using scraps up in the process. I really like this dress pattern and wish I had hadn’t given my copy away 🙁 . I love the yellow. It reminds me of all the daffodils around at the moment.
thank you so much Andrea! I like your reference to daffodils, and can see I should get you to name my projects in the future. Far more springy, poetic and imaginative than my names! 🙂
I think I discovered (and then follow) your blog before buying this pattern, with your dyed corduroy version. I love seeing what you do with this design and this yellow dress is no exception ! But I still haven’t sewn it myself, I’m ont very proud of that !
thank you! Yes, you should sew it up, it’s a terrific pattern! 🙂
Very lovely. Its always a plus to make something from scraps as well. Seriously a great looking dress! And a nice dog bed. Gorgeous pooch too.
thank you Bracken! 🙂
Your amazing sewing skills make sewing look so easy, like a game! Stunning dress, probably the best version!
thank you very much Carmela! xx
Hah! You are the cat’s meow. Love the dress. The piping reveals the brilliant cut, but only a Piping Master would dare take on miles of piping that reveals every flaw without mercy. Love the color: new, fresh, edgy. Golly that’s great.
Pup, pup bed, slipcovered sofa, all with coordinating textiles…I’m in blog reader heaven. Please don’t ever stop.
There is no such thing as too many Clara shots. Love the closeup of the dress where she sits on the floor, giving a good impression of wide eyed and harmless. “Blur fur” on-the-move pictures and sleepy pictures are probably more like real life.
thank you so much sankati! hehe do you know, I actually still have plans for other, different interpretations of this pattern. #somebodystopme
Beautiful dress! Those lines!! And Clara is the most cutest thing EVER!! 🙂
thank you Lisa! she’s cute, if a little monkey sometimes! 🙂
I ADORE this dress, so beautiful!! Perfection 🙂
(and Clara looks most cuddlesome…)
thank you! 🙂
Your dress is incredible.
This is making me re-think my birthday dress plans.
Cute pup
thank you so much Nique! I love your name, btw 🙂
That is such a great style on you and I love the story of the dress. Also, perfect piping.
thank you very much Lori! 🙂
With the contrast piping this dress looks very Art Deco! I’ve always thought it looked a bit too fiddly for me to bother with but now I see how perfect the design is for using up scraps (of which I have sooo many)…
thank you Nina! It probably is a little fiddly as far as patterns go, but I actually love that in a design. And it is GREAT for using up scraps! 🙂
I love it! And I know the phenomenon too, that dresses that you make for free are the ones I love the most in the end! And they’re the most fun to make!the blue piping is a great contrast against the yellow and the dress is perfectly paired with your miette cardigan 🙂
thank you! I think projects that you don’t really care about the fabric, can be lots of fun because you’re to worried about ruining anything! 🙂
Wow! The original pattern pic leaves me completely cold but yours is fantastic.
thank you Mairead! 🙂
Another lovely dress! The colours look great on you.
thank you so much! 🙂 xx
I love your blog for so many reasons, but the incredible technique and the precision sewing are definitely at the top of my list. And this dress magnificently showcases that!
I often sew with upholstery fabric, especially super cheap one, it’s very freeing! Absolutely no hang-up and all creativity!
And then you go and throw puppies on top, ha ha!!
DANG, that is a cool dress.