Tsuru Washi with a bow

Please note: The pattern previously known as “Washi” has been renamed “Trillium.” Read about the name change here. The Expansion Pack has been retired; please visit the Trillium Page for inspiration and links to tutorials.

I made this fun Washi Dress for Quilt Market this spring with one of the "Motif Madness" prints from the Tsuru line designed by my friend Rashida for Cloud 9.

The ties got stuck inside the dress the first time I put it on, and when I started to pull them out they made a fun little origami-esque collar...gotta love those happy accidents. I actually wear it that way most of the time now, but I pulled out the ties for these photos so you could see how it's *supposed* to look! Do you think it looks better tucked in or tied out?

I used a wide piece of elastic in the back instead of the elastic shirring that the pattern usually calls for. This is a nice option for those of you who Fear the Shir. The other thing I did differently on this version was bind the armholes so that the bias tape shows on the outside of the armhole (in the pattern, the bias tape is put on the inside of the armhole so it doesn't show on the outside).

I've hinted in the past that I'm working on an expansion pack for the Washi Dress that includes a tie-neck option. I'm not certain when the extra options will be available, but it's on "The List"...I just work at my own special pace, which is a slow and steady one. With two small kids, I really don't see any other way, and that's fine by me.

I heard a rumor that the Tsuru fabrics will be shipping to shops again in the next month or so, so you should be able to find these fabrics again very soon! You may also remember the Motif Madness Geranium Dresses that I posted earlier this year. Clementine's big into matching mama right now, so she keeps asking for HER dress that looks like this (meaning the red one), but since that was a Quilt Market sample (and they all got shipped back to Cloud 9) I think I'm going to make her another one. I guess I would have thought that was pretty lame in my 20's, but now I just think it's cute that she wants to dress like me. We even wore our matching Washi Dresses to the Toledo Zoo last Friday. It was part embarrassing, part adorable...but she loved it, so that made it totally worth it! What's your take on matchy-matchy? Would you do it??

Also: I was totally into wearing my dresses with skinny jeans this spring. It's been SO COLD!! I'm thrilled that it's finally looking a little more like summer here in Michigan!