Ruby Dress

I decided to give Made By Rae's Ruby dress a try.  From Rae's blog posts,  have determined that she and I have similar proportions so since it worked for her, I figured it would work for me.

The first one I made was in regular old woven cotton.  I knew it was not the best choice for a dress since quilting cotton doesn't have great drape but I have had this piece of fabric in my stash FOREVER and I love the print.  I decided it was time to use it up.  I was a little short on fabric so I added a band at the bottom.  I also added a little to the length.  I am about 5'9" and I am teacher - I wanted to be able to wear this to work. These photos stink because I took them while learning to use the timer on my camera.

Even though the fabric choice was not ideal, I love the dress. I was actually really surprised that I like it so much.  When I saw the the gathering is ABOVE the fullest part of the bust I wondered how it could be flattering but it is!  I know some people are adding belts to this dress but I have never been able to getting into the cinching style; it just doesn't do it for me.

For my next Ruby, I decided to use a geometric print ponte de roma fabric.  I used stretch black denim that I had leftover from a pencil skirt I made for the top part.  I added a few inched to the length.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE this dress.  The only issue I have with this dress is that I used store-bought bias tape.  It is a little stiff and it makes the neckline gap a little.  I would love to make my own more often and I even have the little bias tape maker to use with my iron but I rarely have the time to do anything that requires an iron.

I have three more Ruby dresses planned.  The dress is a quick project and I highly recommend giving it a go.