Carefree Dress With Contrasting Patches

We had just one dress to sew over November and December, and I started mine on December 29th. :-)   This is the first time I've put it off so long, too.  Usually, I am very eager each month to start the new pattern in the Carefree Sewalong -- I really like the idea of working through the whole book in one year! 

I could blame it on the December crafting rush, but I will be honest and say that there really wasn't much about this dress that appealed to me.....and I knew FOR SURE that those gathered sleeves with elastic on the wrists would be a struggle for Eliza.  She's very particular about sleeves, in fact.  Too loose = they scrunch up inside her parka.  Too tight = they are too tight and blood circulation to her hands comes to a complete standstill. 

So, I took eight weeks to think about it.  ;-)

For fabric, I knew I didn't want to use anything dark.  I thought about pale grey for awhile.  But, that would mean *buying* new fabric.......which became less attractive as time went by with respect to extra shoppers + less parking.  I had a small roll of pale blue plaid fabric I'd hastily bought from a craft remnant basket in Copenhagen. 

I also had a toddler dress from Confetti, which I could never give away.  Cutting it up was okay, though.

In tracing the Carefree dress pattern, the sleeves went away, which solved the problematic wrist situation.   

Instead of rectangular patches, stitched on by hand, I used circles and ran them through my machine with a clear conscience, and added a few beads in the centers.

I made one patch on the skirt into a pocket, custom-sized to fit a sparkly blue ipod-shaped radio.  I'll curry favor wherever I can with her.   ha ha!

Only three buttons in the back -- scraps of taupe lace for loops and small hook & eye the the closure on the neckline.   Pink polka-dot facing. 

Same button + lace closure in front at neckline, and also added a strip of floral to the outside of neckline opening....it just looked so "inside out" when it was bare:

before attaching floral strip

I was going to shorten the hem, but Eliza was almost in tears about keeping it long.  So much for the lasting power of currying favor.....   But I did get points from her in that the dress matches the new, purple rain boots:

Just in time for the stretch of warmer days and snow melt this week...... !!  :-)