That 70s Dress

Is it just me, or are the days racing by? I can't believe how fast this spring is flying already, or how lucky we've been weather-wise recently. When I was home for Easter I took advantage of said weather to get a few pictures of one of my latest makes:

I really can't decide if I love it or hate it. My mom's first reaction upon seeing it was, "That looks like something my mom would've made me wear." Gee, thanks! ;-)

I grabbed about 2.5 yards of this border-print linen at a garage sale last year. (I'm now regretting some of the things I passed up, considering how cheaply they were letting them go for.) This fabric was clearly from the 70s, and there were quite a few sun-damaged spots. I had to get a little creative with my cutting, but overall there was more than enough fabric to work with.

I wanted to have this done in time for my Puerto Rico trip...last October. That obviously did not happen, ha. I used Simplicity 4070 for the bodice, which I've been thinking of as one of my TNTs, but considering the fitting issues with this one (way too big!) and the last one (way too small!), I think it needs to be stripped of its title.

Along with using the border print for the simple pleated skirt, I thought it might be a nice touch to use it on the straps, too. Kind of pulls the whole thing together, at least theoretically.

Looking at these pictures made me realize just how bad some of the fitting issues are. Honestly, though, I don't know if it's worth fixing. I'd love some honest opinions here - too kitchy, or potentially cute?

Pinterest knock-off, for real this time

My latest creation is finally here!

[Please forgive the wrinkles, this survived several days of wear and a stint on the floor, oops.]

A while back, I was gushing about this pin:

When I was more committed to stash-busting, I'd made what I considered at the time to be a pretty okay knock-off. I like that dress and wear it a lot, but it still wasn't quite what I was looking for. Since then, I've been searching high and low for a better match to the fabric in the original dress (and one that would go with a jean jacket), and finally, gloriously, Hancock Fabrics saved the day! 

This is my tried-and-true fitted version of Simplicity 4070. I've finally got the fit close to perfect, but I can mix up the skirts enough to make it look different each time (I hope).

I didn't bother with pattern matching because I only bought 1.5 yards of this and there just wasn't enough left (which is also the reason for the A-line skirt rather than a gathered or pleated one). I got this for a decent sale price ($8/yard), but it's still more than I typically spend on fabric. Like I've said before, I'm still learning, and am way too scared to invest a bunch of money in something that might not work well. Luckily, I think this one does. :)

[Again, sorry for the wrinkles! That...does not look good, but the hem IS straight, I promise!]

The straps on the original version keep falling down (as do pretty much all straps ever), so I decided to cross them, which I think is a fun little detail. 

Other than the fact that this seems to need constant pressing, I really really like it! The pin is officially knocked off.