Readers, have you read the book Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen? It's one of those magical, whimsical, romantic books that I devour--and Jeff rolls his eyes at. (Seriously, read it.) The magical, whimsical, romantic main character often wears a white eyelet sundress while doing magical, whimsical, romantic things. The idea of the white eyelet sundress has been implanted in my brain ever since, and I'm convinced that wearing one will make one's life 100% more whimsical.
And since it's sundress sewing season (yay!), it's time to start planning. I love a strappy style with a full skirt, like this Lilly Pulitzer from a past season (though I'd prefer more substantial straps).
Or maybe add a "peek-a-boo" detail like this Milly dress (from eBay)!
To increase my whimsicality and romance factor, I envision riding my new pink bike (just ordered!) while wearing my white eyelet sundress. I should probably get a front basket to fill with flowers and baguettes and puppies too. (Too much?)
ha ha ha! I'm afraid I'm with Jeff, not my sort of reading....
ReplyDeleteHowever love the idea of a white eyelet sundress, I think your bombshell dress bodice with straps & full skirt would look stunning!
You had. me daydreaming. Yeah take the puppies out of the basket.
ReplyDeleteYou had me at the bike LOL. My retro Amsterdam bike is red and her name is Scout.... *sigh*
ReplyDeleteOh right...sewing hehe yes, a white eyelet dress sounds divine.
Haha! I love it. Some of my favorite dresses I've ever owned have been white eyelet sundresses...you can't go wrong. Also, that pink bike is perfect!
ReplyDeleteHi - long time reader but first time poster - love the dresses but LOVE the bike even more! where did you order it from!?
ReplyDeleteNot white eyelet, but Gunny Sax did it 35 years ago.
ReplyDeleteI so would not have the nerve to wear this.
I'm totally on board with the white eyelet sundress concept, though.
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ReplyDeleteI have that exact same Eva Mendes snap in my inspiration folder. Perhaps a sew along beckons?
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this book!! (Also "Sugar Queen" by the same author..if you haven't read it yet, it's just as marvelous as Garden Spells!)
ReplyDeleteI love the white eyelet sundress, too, but have to make one very different from my white eyelet First Communion Dress (which also had pink flowers on it - thanks for making that, Mom!!). This is a great summer sewing kickoff project.
ReplyDeleteMy bike commuter self wonders if there is a white faux eyelet bike helmet out there waiting for you...?
Funny you should suggest this. I'm starting your bombshell dress this weekend, and I'm making it from coral colored eyelet! White would be gorgeous, too, but it intimidates me. And I've had this eyelet for years, waiting for the perfect project.
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ReplyDeleteI sooooo want a white eyelet dress. Since I signed up for your bombshell course maybe I should try that? I too just ordered a bike-her name is Ethyl.
ReplyDeleteA sundress in "eyelet" sounds so pretty. Trying to remember the english name for the fabric, and it's "broderie anglaise".
ReplyDeleteI've actually got a length of it stached away - can't remember what it was intended for!
Oh, yes - wonderful book; one of my all time favorites. And several years ago, I had a beautiful white eyelet sundress (with beaded details, no less) that I wore till it fell apart. Thanks for reminding me that I need another!
ReplyDeleteI love Sarah Addison Allen's books.
ReplyDeleteYour Bombshell dress would be a great starting point for a white eyelet sundress, I can see it now.
My mister continually makes fun of me whenever I read ridiculous romance novels! Or watch romance movies! I hear you on a white eyelet sundress - sigh. I don't think you could fall in love UNLESS you were wearing a white eyelet sundress either. Plus it would make reading another romance novel that much more pleasurable.
ReplyDeleteThe pink bike is to. die. for! Yes you need a basket to fill with flowers - but also champagne and strawberries and a romance novel. Love!
xoxo, Sunni
My original wedding dress was a white eyelet dress... I'm wearing it in my profile pic, but you can only see that it has a collar. It's belted and collared and I have one in black too!
ReplyDeleteAlso, living in Amsterdam has changed what I think about bicycles... adding a puppy (or a kitten) basket to your bike is tame by comparison to some of the bikes I've seen here. Go wild! Add colorful panniers to carry groceries. :D
Love love love the bike!! and yes - you definitely need a basket filled with flowers and a baguette. The puppy will eat either the flowers or the baguette or will try to jump out. The kitties will not approve.
ReplyDeleteThe 2-strap bombshell with the full skirt = tres awesome. :)
When have puppies, flowers and baguettes ever been too much? I love the Eva Mendes dress!!
ReplyDeleteI have a pink Electra Townie bike, with white pearl fenders and all! I adore it. I live in Austin, Texas, and it is ALWAYS the season for sundress sewing. Luck me. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute bike, perfect for spring! Love the eyelet sundress but I'm thinking the white dress Diane Lane wore in Under the Tuscan Sun : )
ReplyDeleteI've always thought a white eyelet sort of sundress would make a great base for some awesome embroidery.
ReplyDeleteA pink Oma fiets! (grandma bike) I want one but in light blue. Maybe someday....
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of a white eyelet sundress but, alas, I have a 3 year-old son and that means messy hands touch my clothes all the time. I'm afraid it wouldn't last a day! :) I love the idea of using the bombshell dress as a departure point.
Nope that's not too much! I love that bike, looking forward to seeing photos of it! This dress is gorgeous and so flowing and romantic. Will definitely check out the book! XxxX http://thesecondhandrose.blogspot.co.uk/
ReplyDeleteI have a thing for soft pink eyelet at the moment so I am with you! Your bombshell dress would look great.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your fab timing..bought some slightly expensive white eyelet online yesterday, after a glass of white wine, and was feeling a bit guilty......hey presto, one look at your blog and I feel vindicated, and inspired...yee hah!
ReplyDeleteMy gracious! I love that book and have also been obsessed with making a white sundress as a result! They are summer perfection.
ReplyDeletelove the eyelet, but I have to know what bike that is. I have been looking at a townie electra, but like the one you picked better.
ReplyDeleteThx, Mari
Actually, it depends on which eyelet you choose. Some are a *lot* more expensive than others....
ReplyDeleteThere must be something in the air -- I've been thinking about white cotton sundresses for weeks too. Still trying to decide if I want to go with eyelet or crisp white cotton with pintuck detail. Hmm hmm, gotta decide before spring is here in earnest!
ReplyDeleteI have a similar bike but it is red. I have a basket on the front with a flower in it, I think it is a must with this type of bike. You have to wear sundresses when you ride it too, it's the law!
ReplyDeleteHow very Audrey you will look on that bicycle with your flowers etc! What about large white-framed sunglasses to go with it all? Time to start perfecting your I'm-so-adorable-but-I-dont-know-it look :)
ReplyDeleteI think I need to make one too! I'm a little backed up right now, trying to finish the bombshell dress for a cruise in 2 weeks, then there is the yellow dress (which I'm making in a cherry print)... So little time, so many dresses!
ReplyDeleteI'm loving the blog, keep it coming!
It's only "too much" if the puppies are wearing clothes! Is your bike an Electra? They are great, I just bought one in green.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I LOVE that book! White's not so much my color (I just kind of blend into it), but I've been eyeing some navy eyelet. Looking forward to seeing what you make!
ReplyDeleteLoving the Eva Mendes dress - not quite sure what's happening around the waist though.... White looks so fresh for summer.
ReplyDeleteMe and white don't get along. However, pale pale lavender is smashing on me! But I already have two summer dresses planned.
ReplyDeleteYou do have me wondering where I can get a skirt guard for my bike, though.
yes! I love all of these! I always smile when I see eyelet at the fabric store, but never know what to make with it; now I know - thanks for the inspiration!! :)
ReplyDeletei <3 my bike! it's a 1970's malvern star, which has transfer decals on it to which i added streamers, spokey dokes and little 8 balls on the tyres (that links to a picture of it!). i often ride it with workout gear on (SADFACE) but it is my all time favourite thing to ride it with pretty dresses on it.
ReplyDeletei have some eyelet lace at home. my biggest problem is i have so many ideas about what to do with it.
I'm with you on the white eyelet sundress. I've always wanted one. Maybe this should be the year!
ReplyDeleteAnd you MUST HAVE the wicker basket filled with flowers! The perfect accessory! You wouldn't wear clothing without the proper accessories, would you? Don't let your bike go out in public without them either!
mmm a bombshell with wide cupped straps and a powder blue bike. ... lost in whimsey...
ReplyDeleteSounds fabulous.I'm IN!! O want to learn how to make little cupped shoulder straps to add a little shoulder coverage. ahem. hint. ahem.
eyelet sundress: that's cute
ReplyDeletebombshell dress: hmmm...well... yes that's a good idea.
bike: OMG! I am so doing this and then I'm gonna bake some cinnamon rolls, make my own lemonade and then head out on the countryside just riding my bike in my bombshell eyelet dress! :) (and yes, I did buy a bike last sunday! but it's orange, not so romantique)
Awww jealous of the bike. I had a similar one several years ago in bright green with white saddle. When I moved countries I had to sell it ;( I can perfectly picture you riding it with the basket full of groceries and flowers ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the inspiration! Now I have to live with sewing daydreams the whole day! Shame on you :P
ReplyDeletecheers!
http://sewingyourstyle.tumblr.com
I'm not a pink bicycle nor eyelet dress kind of girl, but I can provide you with baguettes. White, whole grain, sesame, spelt, poppy seeds ?
ReplyDelete(I nay on embarking puppies/kitties on the bike. While theoretically cute, it proves unmanageable in real life. There is so much you can do for a cute snapshot.)
If you're going for the full-skirt version, don't forget to sew something with a bit of weight in your seam. Or cycling will become more of a struggle to keep that skirt down and not go Marilyn on everyone ;-)
ReplyDeleteI love white eyelet. Alas, white makes me look ghostly, so I skip it, but you would look wonderful in it!
ReplyDelete"I should probably get a front basket to fill with flowers and baguettes and puppies too. (Too much?)"
No way! That bike demands a basket. If you can't find any handy puppies, you can definitely fill it with baguettes and bouquets.
It's not too much at all!!! I love the vision of bike riding with a summer dress. There is a vintage ladies red schwin at our salvation army store. Now I'm thinking maybe it would be a perfect wardrobe accessory.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE LOVE LOVE white eyelet! I always have :) It feels so lite and springy you can never be in a blue mmood in white eyelet.
ReplyDeleteMy mom helped me make a dress years and years ago the bodice was white eyelet and the skirt was a very light blue denimish fabric....I was just longing for tht pattern yesterday :(
I am shocked. It's like you browsed my white eyelet sundress and bicycle basket with flowers, baguettes and puppies daydreams. I'm not kidding, I've made Polyvore sets about it!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is the Eva Mendes dress! Go to, Gertie! And bring us tutorials, please!
My vote goes to the Eva dress. Eyelet in white and a full skirt together is too girly for me. I love that bike! I see puppies eating baguettes. How cute they look!
ReplyDeleteReading her latest, The Girl Who Chased the Moon. Lot's of magic related to cakes and baking which is not helping me stick to my diet. It's a blissful read. Love the pink Dutch bike. I'm in deep envy. Also, if you insist on wearing a white eyelet sundress while you ride this beautiful bike it MUST be on a quiet country lane that ends at an Anne of Green Gables house. Can't wait to see the dress when it's done.
ReplyDeleteDear Gertie.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about you, but for me, that would lead to deception. The white is an undoubtelly unflattering colour in my figure. I makes me fat. Look at Eva Mendes. Even she looks plummy. Imagine me. Nay.
http://mertxeshomesewing.blogspot.com.es/
Love the bike, first of all
ReplyDeleteLove the white eyelet too. I just did a white eyelet dress for the sewvivor contest--but I lined it in black and added black piping. Love the contrast. But white eyelet just screams spring!!
On this beautiful dutch bike fits a crochet skirt guards from Meertje perfectly, don't you
ReplyDeletethink. ;-)
Greetings from Miriam
It is a GREAT book!!! and I started wearing more eyelet dresses because of it :) I love the bike, I have a polka dot Electra ^_^
ReplyDeleteHave you tried using dryer sheets that are unscented/undyed? My son has skin allergies, so I use that kind when washing clothes that would otherwise stick to each other something fierce when taken out of the dryer.
ReplyDeleteI wash my fabrics a day or so before sewing them, as I seldom have a block of time long enough to wash, and press, and cut, and start sewing, in sequence.
The real question is, will you ear a helmet with your dress and bike? It kills the look (and the hair) but is oh-so-important for head safety. Head safety is the bain of all my biking-in-dresses fantasies!
ReplyDeleteNo helmet... must be either a wide brimmed straw hat or a cloche with a flower and wide ribbon trim on it. Since you aren't riding on an actual car traveled road on this, merely some fantasy Thomas Kincaid country lane (with dubious light sources), it should all be good. Oh, in the basket, no puppy, a cotton table/ground cloth and a book of poetry instead.
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge Sarah Addison Allen fan and LOVED Garden Spells. Have you read 'The Sugar Queen' Yet? if not, you should it's just as good.x
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