Metamorphic Dress #2.

I finished my second Metamorphic Dress last weekend and it was love-at-first-make.  I've worn it three times already and I was beyond amazed, honored, and surprised to see that Meg of Sew Liberated featured it on her pattern release email for the Gypsum skirt (which I'd bought before I even scrolled down and noticed my picture in the email!  She's having a pattern sale: GYPSUMPARTY will give 30% off all her patterns to celebrate the release!).

The Gypsum skirt is top of my making list for my staycation next week - I plan to make a test version and at least one more with fancy fabric - though deciding which fancy version to make first will be hard because I have several fabrics in my stash that I am imagining as Gypsum skirts already.

I love the way that Meg has styled it in her Instagram photos leading up to the pattern release, as well as the versions made by the testers. It is equally beautiful in neutrals and prints, in drapy fabrics and crisper linens and cottons. So many options... seems like a good candidate for a TNT pattern.

But enough about future sewing for now... let me talk about how much I adore my Metamorphic Dress!

I made a small adjustment to the bodice from the first time around.  I graded from a size 8 in the shoulders to a 14 in the bust, instead of a 10.  It really did the trick to keep the loose style of the design but prevent the shoulder fit issues I wrote about with the first one.

I made the underdress from cognac-colored linen/cotton blend that I found at a thrift store (6 yards for $8) and the over dress from a vintage linen table cloth that I dyed with onion skin and iron mordant.  It's a soft blush pink that is really gorgeous. The fabric had a woven jacquard of leaves, flowers, and grapes - so it has a lot of subtle texture that I just love.

It's extra-special because my husband saved all these onion skins for me (he does the day-to-day cooking at our house) and he feels a special connection to the fabric too. He lovingly calls it "the onion dress" and it really makes me smile that he likes it so much.

The only other changes to the pattern that I made were to cut the size 24 skirt to gather into the bodice so I didn't have to worry about fitting my hips and to put the patch pockets on the brown dress and the inseam pockets on the blush overdress instead of how it is designed.  I just thought those styles of pockets better suited the fabrics.

Because this version is true love and the Gypsum Skirt was just released, which also recommends silk noil... I've decided to use the olive and hand-dyed noils I had planned for a Metamorphic Dress #3 for a Gypsum Skirt instead. I do still want to make a drapey version of the Metamorphic dress, but I am thinking of some rayons in my collection for now.

Long story short - I absolutely love this dress.  Love the small fitting adjustments and I plan to make several more versions.

In addition to the weekend I finished it (when I took the dress with me on an overnight out of town and wore one side Saturday and the other side Sunday) I also wore it to work the following Wednesday with the cognac side out, as a pinafore over a navy and white striped tee. I love it both as a sundress and a jumper or pinafore.  It is such a fun and versatile pattern.

Incidentally, I'm quite happy that pinafores seem to be trendy again.  Helen's Closet came out with the York Pinafore, Jennifer Lauren has the Ivy Pinafore, and I see lots of new makes of Tilly and the Buttons Cleo Pinafore lately, and @gabberdashery wears so many cute makes of Kwiksew 4138 that I bought the pattern myself during Me Made May.

I've always loved jumpers and pinafores, but they do seem to be having a fashion moment these days so I am going to take advantage of that.

Happy Sewing!