Sometimes the stars align and the perfect combination of fabric and sewing pattern is dropped in your lap...
When I saw the dress that Gabriela of Chalk and Notch was testing, the Fringe pattern, it gave me '90s vibes. Well, a very modern take on the '90s! The pull-over, no-closure style reminded me of a sophisticated version of the babydoll dresses we all wore back then, typically in dark florals paired with Chuck Taylors or Doc Martens. I believe mine had giant sunflowers on a black background.
Bwa ha ha- I now see from Gabriela's post on the Fringe release that she had the same feelings about the dress!
The Fringe pattern is a woven dress and blouse with two views: View A has a button up front, elbow length sleeves and sleeve tabs to scrunch them up. View B has a notched front neckline and shorter sleeves with a cuff. Both views include a blouse length, optional waist tie and a gathered skirt with a shaped hem.
Because the dream of the '90s was alive in this pattern, I couldn't get dark florals out of my head for my Fringe dress... At first I bought some rayon challis at Joann for testing purposes, but it turned out to be 54" wide instead of 60" as I expected. I hadn't purchased enough. Boo.
Conveniently, a fun neighborhood-y event here in Burlington provided me with an alternative! At the Old North End Ramble, a fun block party/yard sale/music/art/shenanigans/festival thing, a woman was selling a whole bunch of high quality rayon fabrics she got from a friend who used to design a clothing collection. Lucky me, I scored this lovely piece with a bit of '90s flair, perfect for my Fringe dress pattern!
All I need is a black ribbon choker and those Docs, right?
This is View A, with the buttons. I will admit, though, that since it's a pullover and I am procrastinating about learning how to use the 4-step buttonhole function on my new/old machine, I just sewed the buttons straight through the plackets, sans buttonholes.
I really love the Fringe dress... it checks many of my boxes: curved hem, cut-on sleeves, no closures (the buttons don't count since you don't need them), cute, comfy. I like how it has shaping in the bodice, via front and back darts from the waist, but is still loose enough to pull on over your head. The ties help with shaping. They're done quite cleverly, too, originating in the front or back waist darts, your choice.
I can wait to make a blouse version of the Fringe pattern. All the blouse versions I've seen are really cute. Maybe I'll try the notched neckline!
