1970s Tropical Print Sundress

June – July 2016

Vintage Simplicity #7520, circa 1976.
A nice lightweight dress from a broadcloth picked up in the half-off cottons. This is a large scale, directional screen print, and with only 4.75 yards I really had to think through the layout carefully. Everything fit with the fronts cut face up and the backs face down. But in my effort to avoid bullseyes, I made a mistake of placing the same leaves right across the center front (rather than staggering the repeat). I was pretty annoyed. As it turns out, the print is busy enough and the gathering hides this particular area, so it’s really not an issue.

Huge pattern pieces
Simplicity pattern #7520

The matching teal thread that I purchased specifically for topstitching didn’t end up looking very good. Which was interesting. So I used a gold silk in the stash that falls into the mid-range of the colors.