I finished flipping this thrifted dress a few weeks back, but then life got so crazy that I simply did not have the energy to get the photos I wanted of the finished project. Although I did succeed in finally getting out to the garden with my camera last week, life is still crazy, and I definitely haven’t been feeling like my best self lately. Last night I was laying in bed watching a show and I just thought: oh my god, I am not who I want to be at all right now. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. At the end of most of the recent days I’ve felt like I’ve done nothing but wait for bedtime, just to simply have to start over again the next day. The audacity! It’s exhausting and a little lonely.
I kinda feel like getting a haircut, overhauling my wardrobe, downloading all the dating apps again, and changing my entire personality, but I just don’t know if any of those things are the right thing to do when I’m in the midst of feeling so unsettled (we’ll see, maybe I’ll just do all of the above).
Anyways, right now I’m gonna sit back and give this little blue dress her much-deserved moment 💙 I think this might’ve been the sundress Caamp was talking about when he sang:
I found out yesterday / that I’m in love / and I don’t know what else to say / but thank you, Lord / for that sundress on that Saturday / walkin barefoot down the beach
the garden is doing splendidly, by the way
The light, soft fabric was what caught my eye, but when I took her off the rack she was giving Waltons-meets-70s-picnic and I wasn’t feeling it. I already told you how I feel about this dress length when I chopped my Barbie dress.
It’s awkward.
It’s definitely not my most flattering style.
But y’all know I have an eye for seeing the potential in things.
when I was growing up on Walton’s mountain…
So I chopped 14” off the hem, and was then torn between using that extra fabric to add a ruffle to the bottom, or to add front pockets. Of course pockets won, I don’t even have to say more about it…you just know.
Then I spent an evening watching a cute movie and embroidering little daisies on the top of them, because HOW CUTE. I’m obsessed. I did it super professionally too — making sure to fold down and sew the top of the pocket to completely hide all the back-work of the embroidery. I must say, I’m pretty proud of the outcome.
To finish it up, I added two darts to the back of the dress, to cinch the waist a bit tighter, and then I had enough extra fabric to sew a tie to the back too. Because bows are always a great addition to anything.
click the photos to enlarge them, and to appreciate my embroidery
Whenever I do little projects like this people always tell me: oh you’re so LUCKY you have so much talent! I wish I had your talent!! You’re so TALENTED!!!!
And I always have to actively not be like
?????
This was my first sewing machine.
Santa gave it to me.
I was 5.
It’s not really a talent, it’s an acquired skill.
I know people are being kind, but I often feel that referring to something as a ✨talent✨ kinda just disregards the thousands of hours and years of work that people have put into their craft.
The fact that you can or cannot do something creative is probably less to do with what natural gifts the universe has bestowed upon you, and more to do with how much you’ve actually dedicated yourself to learning. Sure, certain things may come more naturally to some than others, but still.
If you wanna be able to sew: learn to sew. Even if it’s just to hem a pair of pants or put a cute heart patch over a hole in your favorite sweater. You have the rest of your life to perfect your craft, but the knowledge really comes in handy and allows you so much freedom.
Now, talent or not, I will say that I think this lil blue dress project turned out cute af. And I’m glad it did, cause the day I bought the dress I started to wonder if it was nothing but back luck.
It was a Thursday.
you’ve never been turned on by gas mileage before?
Y’all know the situation where you’re minding your own business walking through the store, but this one random guy is always like somehow…right behind you? I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt for as long as I can, but: back the fuck up, man. There always seems to be at least one weird guy in the thrift shop, and it tends to throw me off my game a bit. Does it stop me from going alone? No. But does it put me on edge? Uh, yeah, a lil. A girl doesn’t leave the house without peppers pray in her purse once she’s been followed around a store more than once.
(I had a dream the other night where someone followed me home and I unapologetically stabbed them in the neck, so obviously my subconscious mind is done with this bullshit)
Sitting in my car after leaving the thrift shop with just one semi-ugly dress in hand, I was feeling a wee bit of depression creep in. Maybe it was the weird vibes, or maybe it was just a mood. Whatever the reason, I continued on my way. I mean, I wasn’t gonna let it ruin my day. I still had errands to run.
Cue someone almost hitting my car because they apparently did not see me in the intersections, nor did they understand the right of way. Like, I don’t think I would’ve died, but for sure my sweet little car was almost heavily damaged.
At that point even walking through the aisles full of autumn décor at the craft store, buying some cute lil bowls for my soon-to-be-birthed kitten, and smiling at the sweet woman standing in line in front of me (who got very excited when her vibrant sundress and matching shoes were complimented) couldn’t bring my mood up.
someone else beat me to it
It was a day, and at the end of it I felt overstimulated and not sparkly at all and I cried because I’m an over-emotional little baby who just wants to be happy. But I ended up with the most dramatic mascara streaks, which honestly kinda made me feel better. I mean, a work of art is a work of art. She was giving White Horse music video vibes.
So although the origin story of the little blue dress had me a little blue, in the end I have to say that I think she was worth the trouble. I like seeing something and saying “I can fix that,” and then being right.
I hold unspeakable power when my mascara is intact 🐸✨
art by jordan rae 