Floral Fringe Dress For Fall with Zoe Momma Fabrics
This post is a sponsored conversation written on behalf of Zoe Momma Fabrics. All text, photos, and opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links. By purchasing items through affiliate links, you help to support the administrative costs behind running Maker Style at no extra cost to you.
Fall has officially hit in Ontario and it is feeling really chilly out.
Dresses are pretty much my favourite thing to wear in the spring/summer since they make it so easy to look put together while feeling exceptionally comfortable - but I find I'm never reaching for them in the fall and winter since it's just too chilly for bare legs. This means that most of my favourite makes don't get worn all winter long!
This fall, in attempts to get some more mileage out of my favourite dresses, I've purchased a couple pairs of fleece lined tights and they've changed my WORLD. I've worn thicker knitted tights before, but never the fleece lined variety. Guys, these fleece tights are a million times warmer than the knitted variety. These fleece tights feel just as warm as a pair of leggings, but even comfier since it's like a cozy fleece cocoon for your legs. If you've never tried them before, you should, you'll quickly become obsessed too!
So, this new find means I'll be wearing a LOT more dresses this fall and winter.
And what better way to celebrate this new find than to whip up a new dress in a fall-floral print? ;)
Today I'm partnering with Zoe Momma Fabrics to show you guys this Chalk and Notch Fringe Dress in her Showering Vines Cotton Poplin. I'm so excited to be partnering with Zoe Momma Fabric's since Caye, the owner, is based out of Winnipeg! For Canadian sewists, it can be really challenging to purchase fabrics online. Not only is our dollar weaker than the American right now, shipping can get really expensive and duty charges are totally unpredictable and costly when you get hit with them. These three factors can quickly drive the price of your dream fabric out of your budget, so I'm always glad to find new Canadian fabric shops that make online shopping more affordable!
And, another great thing about Zoe Momma Fabrics is that Caye stocks a lot of the designer prints that I've been swooning over (looking at you, Rifle Paper Co. Rayons!) without having to take a chance on shipping/duties from America. These prints can be really challenging to find locally, so it's awesome to have an online option to source these popular prints from!
After a lot of debate between different fabrics from her shop, I eventually chose the Showering Vines Cotton Poplin print. Although floral prints are typically thought to be a spring/summer look, I thought the blue-grey tones in this print made it more suitable for the fall and winter. Plus, I loved the classic polka-dotted background behind the flowers - so gorgeous!
After receiving the fabric in the mail (which, only took a few days... what a difference from shipping fabrics in from the states!) I thought it might make a cute Fringe Dress by Chalk and Notch. The only problem was this fabric is a little crisper than what's recommended for this pattern, and I was a little worried about how the sleeves would look in a less drape-y fabric. I tried to come up with some other ideas, but my heart kept pushing me back towards making a Fringe Dress, so I decided to take the risk and sew it up.
And guys, I'm so happy I did! I love the way the Fringe Dress looks in a crisper fabric. I think it highlights the kimono-sleeved bodice in a really flattering way. And makes the sleeves look a little bit fuller and more dramatic, in my opinion.
So good news all around!
What drew me into the Fringe Dress (and kept drawing me in, despite the fact that this fabric wasn't recommended for the pattern) were the buttons. I loved how buttons are used on both the front placket in view A and the sleeve tabs. But, in both instances you only need a couple of buttons (3 for the front placket, 2 for the sleeve tabs). I've got a huge button collection that's been passed down from women in my family, but within this huge collection I don't have many buttons that match. Finding two or three of a kind is a a lot easier than eight or nine of a kind, so I've been leaning towards patterns that only use a couple of buttons to help me make a dent in my stash.
For this dress, I was able to mix some beautiful orange buttons I only had two of for the sleeve tabs with some silver buttons I only had three of. It was a perfect way to use these old buttons that compliment the fabric well!
In terms of construction, I sewed up a size 0 at the bust and graded to a 2 at the waist and hips. I picked view A because I loved the button placket at the front. I know there has been lots of discussion about the best way to tie the ties on this dress. For me, my favourite way to wear this dress is with the ties sewn into the back darts and tied tightly at the back for extra waist shaping. I know some of you ladies may be able to get away with tying the ties differently, but for me and my column-y bod I'll take all the waist definition I can get!
Discovering fleece-lined tights has definitely inspired me to give more winter dresses a try! I would love to make some kind of shirt dress with this blush-toned nature print, or a party dress in this floral scuba.
What are your thoughts on winter dresses? Let me know if you have any favourite patterns I should check out to pair with my new, super warm tights!