Laurel.

Trendy- not exactly a word I would use to describe myself. Still, even an ostrich like me can pick up on the dominate presence of the ombré phenomenon. And, when I read the categories for the Colette Patterns' Laurel contest, I decided to employ the technique for my submission.

Prior to this endeavor, I'd never attempted to dye fiber or fabric, so I wasn't really sure where to start. Fortunately, there are a slew of really helpful tutorials on the RIT website, including this one on ombré technique.

Still skeptical, I headed to Joann in search of a piece of fabric I wouldn't cry over ruining if things went terribly wrong. I had my heart set on fabric with a bit of texture, like the Missoni dress I pinned to my inspiration board, but I didn't have any luck finding a replica. However, I was delighted to find a rayon blend burnout- when did Joann incorporate natural fiber fabrics into their collection?

After a pre-wash I dyed the entire length of fabric, leaving roughly 6 inches at the border white.

I hand washed, rinsed and hung the fabric from the shower rod, light side to dark, to avoid color bleeding.

The colors dried considerably lighter and less saturated than I expected them to. But, the effect was there.

I laid my two body pieces side-by-side, making sure to match grain and color lines between them. The sleeves were cut from the darkest portion of fabric. I turned the sleeve cap to match the coloration at the points of contact, so the deepest shade is at the cuff.

Construction was a breeze. I didn't refer to the directions at all, so I'm not sure whether or not I made any modifications. I did use a self faced underlining on the body of the dress. I left the sleeves unlined, but attached them with French seams, so there wouldn't be any slop peaking through.

I used a lapped zipper closure up the back. And, I machine stitched my hem(s).

I was amazed at how quickly this dress comes together. I waited to start cutting/sewing until Saturday evening, and I had a completed dress Sunday morning.

I wore this out and about during errands and appointments Sunday afternoon. It was easy to wear. Very fuss free.

The sizing on this pattern is worth mentioning. I am fairly out f touch with the sizing on conventional patterns; however, this seems vanity sized-TO THE MAX- I cut a size 4 with no modifications. And, I'm swimming in it. I know there is some intentional ease, but I think I easily could have cut the zero and still had room.

Since I typically use vintage patterns, I was really nervous to be cutting anything smaller than a size 12. And, i haven't fathomed wearing a zero since I was in grade school. Frankly, I find vanity sizing very frustrating. I wish women's clothing would change to a men's sizing system- makes much more sense. Certainly there are other numbers (IQ perhaps) we can weigh heavier than our dress size.

I digress.... You can check out all the contest submissions in the Colette Patterns flickr group. I'm entering under the categories of #laurelcolor and #laurelselfdesigned. Fingers crossed!