Corduroy Pearl Shift

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After making my first Pearl dress (blogged here), I immediately made this one. The Pearl Dress pattern is from Green Bee and this version was made with one of my favorite prints from my latest collection for Cloud9, Small World. It’s lightweight organic corduroy, and this print is called “Oh my darlin.” I was inspired to design it by my own darling (and strong-willed) Clementine. The corduroy is light enough for a dress, thought its weight would also also be well-suited for skirts or light pants. Though I would definitely add knee pads if making pants for a child whose playtime consists of more than coloring and tea parties.

I had some trouble deciding between a shorter or longer sleeve, which resulted in the hybrid you see here. Initially I cut the sleeves 3/4 length (the pattern also includes full length sleeves), but after trying it on, I felt perhaps the whole package was a bit too much and cut off the sleeves to a short-sleeved length, ala Beatrix. I immediately regretted it — the proportions were all off — but by then the damage had already been done, so I folded the bottom portions of the trimmed sleeves in half and reattached them to create a sort of cuff. It was all a bit “let’s see how this goes wheeeee” but in the end it turned out fine.

The only other teeny tiny change I made here is that I pulled the extra ease on the sleeve into a gather at the top to create a bit of a puff sleeve. The sleeve is a set-in sleeve, hence it does include some extra ease for the shoulder. I think the little puff at the top seems to suit the print quite nicely.

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I’m always a big fan of pockets in a dress (who isn’t?) and I went for the zipper option again. I didn’t have an invisible zip — which would have been really great — but I think even a standard zip looks fine on this dress, and makes it easy to get in and out of without having to pull over. You can see all of the Pearl Dress pattern options over at the Green Bee website; the pattern is available in both print and digital formats.

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It’s almost time to say goodbye to my lovely turquoise (green? some people see green) extensions. They’re getting all tangled at the top where they’re attached to my hair so I’m going to have to have them taken out soon, probably next week when we get back from vacation. I’m trying to decide if I want a break from extensions, or if I should try a different color (last time I did pink), or even do something a little bit crazier this time. I haven’t decided yet. I’ve gotten a ton of compliments on these, and they always seem to match what I’m wearing (I often wear aqua and turquoise). What do you think?