This dress is a complete ray of sunshine. I'd just arrived back from my gorgeously sunny holiday to a grey and threatening homecoming. What better way to prolong the holiday feeling than this fabric and this dress?

Now that is some loud fabric!! But by now you all will know I love me some obnoxious statement fabric. And this fabric shouts 70's! Bright! Crisp! and any other number of words I just love.

This is my version of Pattern N Deep-pocket shift with ruffle trim from Yoshiko Tsukiori's Stylish Dress Book: Clothing for Everyday.

I could not resist those pockets.

Though I must admit I was concerned they'd give me the saddlebag look from hell. I'm not so sure pockets at that height and of that size are suited to pear-shapes like me. But hello ruffles!! This dress is perfectly balanced by those ruffled "sleeves", very handily giving an illusion of width across the shoulders. Very clever, Yoshiko, very clever.

And we all know my love for sleeve ruffles.

SEWN: "TWO FRUITS" DRESS

I think this will go down in history as my "fruit period". I never thought I had a thing for fruit fabrics until I had made both this and my "Feeling Fruity" dress. And in fact, this one came first, made exactly a year ago. A year! I was very remiss in blogging this, one of my most favourite makes.

This is my version of vintage Simplicity 6926, View 2 (dated 1977).