Charlie Brown in Drag

My friend recently complimented my dress, saying it reminded her of one she had when she was a teenager. She liked it a lot and wore it to her aunt's wedding. Apparently, however, not everyone was a fan. Later, she learned that the same aunt had commented to another relative that she thought it made my friend look like Charlie Brown in drag. Ha!

Luckily, now our egos don't bruise so easily and we've decided that being Charlie Brown in drag is a wonderful compliment which I will wholeheartedly embrace! So I present to you, my NYE dress of 2020. Oh brother!

Pattern: based on New Look 6460 with sleeves from New Look 6217

Fabric: velvet and sheer chevron stretch fabric lined in jersey

Cost: $30

Now that you can't get that image out of your head, let me tell you a little bit about it. I discovered this fabric at Crossroad Fabrics in my hometown over the holidays. Carla always has something interesting on hand, usually at killer prices. She gave me this amazing 2-yard cut of velvet and sheer chevron fabric for $13! On my way out of town, I picked up the coordinating yellow jersey at a Hart's Fabrics sale to line the dress. 

I knew I wanted to make something for New Year's Eve but was away from my machine. So I spent my nights dreaming up the best way to use this special fabric. I fell in love with this inspiration dress and was left figuring out how best to construct it.  

There are a lot of similar dress patterns on the market, but I wanted to work with the patterns I had on hand. I used New Look 6460 and grafted on the large cut-on sleeves from the jacket in New Look 6217. I cut the front as two pieces, making it easier to do the v-neck and the front slit. It did make for some work matching the front. I used lots of pins and the chevron pattern still isn't quite perfect. 

It also took some thought to figure out how to line it. I ended up doing lots of understitching to keep the lining out of sight, which is a bit tricky in a knit. The neckline also has elastic to prevent it from stretching out. Also, there are boob cups. I put them in pretty much everything now and it really solves the issue of finding the right undergarments. 

I'd only had it finished for about a week and had already managed to wear it twice: once on New Year's Eve and again that weekend to my friend's bachelorette. It's comfortable and special at the same time. And I still have a little bit left, so we'll see what becomes of it.