I’ve been slowly hoarding crazy print fabrics, waiting for the moment when my sewing wishes and fashion trends made them a feasible option.

That must be now!

First up, the obvious (for me) winner in this competition. It’s bold and summery, and feels both on-trend and (hopefully) timeless.

The fabric is a cotton pique, that has an interesting weight/texture. The colors are flattering, and the floral is the right amount of whimsical and graphic. I re-used the pink-peony hybrid pattern which was so successful in an orange check. The only adjustments: lowered the shoulders on the pattern a bit, and added a bit more width/gathering on the waist of the skirt.

Here’s my third Lady Skater Dress – sleeveless and with a print! This fabric is SLICK (it could probably be a bathing suit), and I had an awful time sewing it, and I think the bodice is a bit too long, and I don’t love the sleeveless option as much as I thought I would. But for a hot and humid day, it’ll work!

(I might be tired of sewing with knits for a while, and instead wanting to tackle a few more interesting sewing/design features with wovens.)

This dress is veering into near-miss territory. The fabric is a stretch poplin that came in a free fabric grab-bag. I love the floral design, and these colors technically work, but it somehow feels too “girly” for me, which is one reason I’ve avoided florals in the past.

Also, I did NOT pre-shrink this fabric and it DEFINITELY got shorter/tighter in the wash. (Such an easy mistake to avoid…) Though, even if it fit as loose as I’d hoped, I think this pattern (most recently the Scarlet Letter Dress) works best with longer sleeves and cold-weather layering.

I might separate the pieces and try mixing them in other ways. (Maybe something solid closer to my face…) Or I might throw it in my consignment pile and see what happens.