Summer………………..flirty little dresses, beautiful blue skies and strappy sandals.…
Ok, scratch that last bit. Get ready to hear just one more reason that I am just not normal. I don’t want to look like Victor Mature, no it’s not that.Altho if you, thats just fine. He has many admirable qualities, I’m sure. I’m talking about just not being a sandal girl. I have never owned flip flops. I have 4 million (that number has been carefully tabulated by the husband who needs to get his big nose out of my closet before I take a stick to him) pairs of assorted ballet flats and little sneakers. But every year I get this wild idea that I will find the sandal that makes my heart glad and we will caper thru the meadows and my toes shall live free. Then I give up and buy more skimmers. But as I sewed this project I kept thinking- maybe this will be the year I find my perfect sandal! 
But enough about my toe-reveal issues! By the by- I’ll send a free vintage pattern to the first commenter that can find the medical term for fear of meta-phalangeal nudity. Dig the glowing flesh! 
This weeks favorite new summer dress- Simplicity 1800. One of those fabulously easy patterns with varying cup sizes. The Husband also helpfully pointed out that it also has pseudo-marsupial pockets- cuz thats how I roll, you know. It’s very much like Simplicity 2174 but more pleaty and less sleevy.
Continuing our tour of my scenic hamlet- I bring you a shot in front of one of our civil buildings. I swear it’s the first times I’ve been there! Pattern review thoughts and feelings: Fabric mart fun cotton, I skipped the back zipper- it flowed right over my pointed head successfully! No other structural changes- it’s frisky-fab in my book.
Oh, it also matches my newest love- my Dr Marten Deidres! The box says ‘rose’ but we all know it’s ‘good and plenty’ pink. God bless ‘em! 
No, I still haven’t found the grail sandal, but these make me think of Christopher Robin in drag and isn’t that a good image! My Dr Marten addiction is progressing nicely, don’t you think? So glad to be back to full frontal me sewing!!!!
photo credits: pattern review.com, meadhawg, google images
You know I used to be the same about showing my toes. Living in the subtropics and wearing closed shoes all year round was not a good thing to do. I started painting my toenails in lurid colours and gradually trained myself to show them off. I love your pink Docs and think I need a pair. I also really like this dress. I haven’t seen this pattern before but it’s really versatile. I love the fabric you’ve chosen; the colours are great and the pattern is right up my alley. In fact, now I think about it, I have a handbag I was given as gift (and never used) that would go perfectly with this outfit!
ah, sewing- the sport of enabling at it’s best!
Lovely dress, it suits you. You keep your toes to yourself if that makes you happiest. I wish more people felt that way! Cracked heels, horny toenails, arrghh!!
When I worked part time at a shoe store I dreaded people trying on without any hosiery- some of those hooves were nasty!
Oh! Great dress! Super cute PINK shoes! And who needs sandals when you can bound across the meadows like a kangaroo with your pouch! Kangaros ‘t need sandals. Evolution, ain’t it grand?
I have been craving this pattern, love it. If I buy it, I’ll tell my hudbamd it’s your fault and they can set up an online support group. What do you think.
Oh, we’d have really great team shirts, don’t you think? Any support group we’re in should really have a uniform, something scalloped perhaps….
Definitely. With pockets.
I love my Birkenstock thongs – super comfy. But onto the dress – it looks fantastic! I’ve been eyeing off this pattern for a little while, and now I know that I’ll need to buy it. So much for my fabric/pattern diet!
oh, I used something from the textile hoarders closet on this- but I did buy something this weekend, oh well…..
Is it podophobia? I can’t think of a funny one until I’ve had a cup of coffee! (Only mean ones!)
Those shoes are fab! With footwear like that, there’s no need to show off the toes – unless it’s too blasted hot!
I didn’t mean to imply that I think of you in a mean way – I think about everybody & anything before I have my morning coffee!
BTW, I am loving the dress and am glad that the cushion project is over, done, delivered.
I was trying to think of somethign that involved the Berenstein bears- I just remember thinking that they all needed serious pedicures……
It’s like Alice- we can only think of 2 impossible things before breakfast!
Looking at the pattern on the model I wondered if the bra straps would be covered. You look perfectly happy with the fit in the bust and the cotton fabric will keep you cool too…cool…let’s not forget the shoes! Good N’ Plenty….brings me back to me years of sucking all the coating off those little candies in the movies watching cartoons and the 3 Stooges when they were the original cast back in the 50′s. Love the pockets too….looks like the lay flat and not add bulk. Men don’t understand shoes…we don’t understand hundreds of nuts and bolts stored in boxes and bags in the garage. We don’t bug them about owning a small warehouse of DIY gadgets so they should just butt out of our closets.
I wore orthopaedic oxfords as a child- I claim the right to ridiculous shoes as an adult! I think there is a government study in there somewhere- if you don’t let the kid wear silly things then, they may wear them now!
I totally agree! I do/wear many silly things now to make up for the restraint of my younger days!
I love that dress; it looks fabulous on you too. I have that one in the queue – just need to find some fabric for it. I was a little concerned about the bra straps showing too, but it looks fine and dandy from here.
the cut away from the shoulder is not as deep as it looks on the drawings- I had no bra issues- it is a little low in the front tho- I had to do the press hand to bosom ‘I do decl-are’ pose if I bent foerward….
Hahahahaha! Love this dress! I guess I must be a bit of a foot exhibitionist as I live in flip-flops and sandals! I went to college in southern California and I don’t think I wore close-toed shoes once! You’ve got to find a pair of sandals you love– it’s so breezy and nice in the summer!
I’m just uncomfortable with toe seperation. Makes no sense!
Because your dress and shoes are so adorable, I had to find a fitting word for fear of naked toes. Here goes: nudusdigitipedophobia
oh, my google searches just got weirder!
I like that term! email me an address and size preferance at bmoviemouse(at)hotmail(dot)com!
I love sandal season mostly because I hate socks, but I always have to have nailpolish on my toes if they are being exposed. I’ve never cared much for flip flops.
That is a really cute dress on you. The pattern picture doesn’t do much for me, I am glad you could see the potential in the pattern.
Its so comfortable, I’d like 3 or 4 more of them.
I’m a flip flop hater – well, the kind that shoves those stupid little uncomfortable pieces of shoe between your big toe and the one next to it. UGH. That’s a form of torture in my books. But I love my slides…. or mules? No, not the kind that require a dangling carrot. And I love strappy sandals that would not in any way be conducive to leaping or bounding, grassy meadows or otherwise. That said, I really love your pink docs and the dress is perfect. I’ve never seen that pattern, and I’m liking the maxi-dress version. Oh, did I mention painted toenails are a personal prerequisite for foot exposure?
Unpainted toes in sandals seem sort of undone. Like a gal without a tiara!
EEE-zackly. Now where’d I leave mine????
Sandal lover here. I have even, dare I say it? Okay, you talked me into admitting one of the worst fashion faux pas ever in the history of the world. Can you guess? Yes, I have worn sandals with socks. I know it’s wrong, I do. You have to understand that unless they are high and strappy and stunningly impractical and painful, I hate shoes. Hate. So when the weather gets cold, I resist as long as I can before resorting to jamming my dainty little size 10s into fully enclosed foot wear. I can go as low as -10 Celsius if I resort to the above stated faux pas. Enough about me.
Congratulations on your return to fun sewing. Love the dress, really cute pattern and it looks lovely on you.
Are you now sewing things to match your shoes or buying shoes to match your fabrics?
a lucky coincidence of shoe matching- zappos sent me the pink instead of white- they matched- love was instant! Speaking of matching- tell me the socks at least match and are womens socks!!!
Gosh. I’ve never even considered whether I’m a toe-exposure or toe-confinement type – to me it depends on the weather. Anyway, psycho-nerd that I am, the technical term is metatarsilphobia – fear of toes – but believe me, there are much, much weirder ones than that out there! I do like this dress, especially the hidden pockets: you have the uncanny knack of looking at a pattern and ‘seeing’ what it will look like in fabric and reality – so I’m calling this – pre-rationalisation of material concepts. Good for you, you’ve inspired new psycho jargon – tell that to the Behavioural Science Unit!
I think you and Claire deserve a pattern! email me an address and size preferance at bmoviemouse(at)hotmail(dot)com! I love a new fancy term!!!
Great suggestions so far – I was gonna go for “toegoraphobia”. Whatever it is, I have the opposite. I love being barefoot or in sandals, but I unfortunately have to wear closed toe shoes at work. I can hardly wait to liberate my feet the instant I get home!
I love this dress, too – it is, as advertised, an amazing fit, and great fabric too. I’m enamoured of the marsupial pockets – I hadn’t looked twice at this pattern before but now I might have to pick it up!
Oh, you’d look so good in the halter version!!!
Wonderful! So glad you mention no zipper…I have this pattern and was trying to figure out if I can ditch the zip. Yea! Love the shoes…you are so matchy. Great dress.
The neckline is super wide- I basted it closed to fit and then just went with it. I do love my silly shoes!
I think this is my favorite dress you’ve made so far! The fact that it went together so perfectly is just a bonus. And those shoes? Once again, you’ve reduced me to helpless shoe lust. Oh god, WANT PANT DROOL…..
After the cushion ordeal- I needed an easy win. Lord- I have got to get myself off the Dr Marten email list- it is getting serious!!
OMG I want your shoes!!!!!!!
Oh, you need them- they are perfect for you!
Dress is just lovely on you, looks comfy and cool; but the star of this show are the shoes!!!
I got so many strange looks for the shoes- you know Anderson- individuality scares them!
All the more reason the white Docs need a great polka dot pair of socks!!
Great looking dress!!! How do you think the pattern would work in a tunic length?
It’s right on the edge of my memory, Charlie and the Good n’ Plenty commercial???
I too have never found a pair of sandals to love, so your toes are not alone in their covered-upness.
Cho-chho charlie!!! He had an engine and he sure had fun- he used good and plenty candy to make the train run!! Oh, dear!
I’m worried that the tunic length wouldn’t pull the pleats down enough- they may stand out a bit….do you think?
Depends on the fabric, a drapey rayon maybe…..
maybe you could tack the pleats down if they got unruly on you.
I’m also glad you’re back to “full frontal me sewing”! This dress is very cute. The fit is great and it looks so nice on you. And I love, love the shoes. Good ‘n’ plenty pink, for sure. Don’t fret about the sandals thing. It’s small stuff.
there really is no sewing like ‘me’ sewing!
I love the continuing theme of marsupial pockets in your sewing. And the coordinating shoes and dress makes for a lovely combo. I tend towards closed toes because I won’t wear sandals without nail polish and I can’t be naffed most of the time. You do realise, that by showing us this dress you’re just adding to our sewing to-do-lists don’t you?
Sewistas are just enablers, so sad.
Nicely done. I have not seen this particular building before. The dress came out nice! To me, the appeal of sandals and flip flops is the idea of not having to wash socks for the entirety of the summer months! Make sure you git that hubby outta your shoe closet, girl!
I swear, never buy a new over the rod shoe bag with your husband along. It only leads to exclamations of ‘holds 10 pairs? I haven’t owned 10 pairs my entire life! Al you need are black, white and work shoes….’ the sentence stopped there- maybe becasue of the rack that mysteriously fell on him….
I hate to interrupt but at hideous boring records training session I pointed out in an ‘example exercise for a household’ that shoe shop records were nshould never be kept, stored in any way, once 5 steps out of the shop!!
Cool shoes! If you never wear sandals that you don’t have to bother with those pesky pedicures every few weeks.
The dress is adorable on you. Really suits you. And of course the Good’N'Plenty Docs are to die for. But the Victor Mature photo and caption are my favorite thing on a blog, ever. I’ve been giggling over it for ABOUT three days solid.
I am swooning over those pink shoes…and that adorable dress! But I REALLY love Victor’s strappy sandles! I think Chanel made some just like it a few years back!
that little bit of fleece makes them very comfy I’m sure!
Love, love, love the dress. I was looking for a pattern to make a dress for a tea party shower, and this will do perfectly, I believe. Hope mine turns out as nicely as yours.
Super cute dress! May I know if this quilting cotton? I have some in stash but I have heard they r not good for clothes making……
It is a quilty cotton- see what a rebel I am?
Hi!
I have made a few dresses for my little toddler using quilting cotton before. They wrinkle madly after a wash and it’s really a hassle to iron them after. Does this happen to you?
It does give me ironing fits and I feel like it never looks as good as the first wearing, but its so plentiful at the Hancock that I get lured!