Botanical Myosotis Sheet Dress
For the past year, I've been obsessing over the "botanical" print t-shirts (like this one from Wholesome Culture) and started a search for one of my own. Last year they weren't available secondhand since the style was still pretty new, so I turned my search to botanical print fabric, in hopes to recreate my own t-shirt. I came across this amazing bed sheet on Mercari, and when it arrived, the print was larger than I was expecting, so I thought it would look much better in dress form, to be able to show off more of the print.
I was going to wait until Spring to start this dress, but I kept seeing the fabric sitting in my sewing studio, and just couldn't wait any longer! It is completely seasonally inappropriate but I had the motivation to make it so I went for it!
I decided to go with the Myosotis Dress pattern from Deer and Doe Patterns. It's a silhouette that I think suits me well, and I really love the tiered skirt. I made Myosotis last summer out of fabric I bought in Paris two years ago, and love that dress! (I never got around to blogging it but I posted a photo over on Instagram.)
I made version A, without the sleeve ruffle. I tested the sleeve ruffle on my first Myosotis and wasn't really in love with the look, so I kept it off of this version as well. I had a lot of fun with print placement on this dress, and since the florals were pretty big, I wanted to be sure they were showcased, and the different colors were sprawled all over the dress, not just stacked (i.e; yellow on bodice directly on top of yellow in skirt). I put some of my favorite florals on the bodice so the gathering wouldn't disrupt the design. I loved the floral names on the sheet (one of the reasons I love the botanical shirts!) however I wasn't able to keep all of them with all the florals, because of the seamlines, but they are sprinkled throughout so the detail I love is still incorporated in the dress.
The bodice is fully lined, but I didn't line the skirt. This dress pattern doesn't call for lining, so all seams are visible inside. I didn't want to play around with adding a separate lining so before sewing, I lined each bodice piece. It is actually lined with old muslins, and whatever larger pieces I could find in my stash, so the back is lined with white and the front bodice is lined with natural muslin. A little patchworked but I wanted to use what I had! I also chose not to line the sleeves, so it looks a little strange from the inside.
I was thinking about lining the skirt but I would line it with cotton and I feel every time I line a dress with cotton, it gets static-y or clumpy and doesn't fall properly. I have the option of removing the skirt and stitching each tier with lining before sewing them together, but I'm just not sure it is necessary. If anyone has any suggestions - I'm open to hear them!
A few more details on this dress include a couple of gold buttons from my vintage button stash and POCKETS!
A few notes on the pattern: I cut a size 38, and made no changes to the bodice or sleeves. This is a looser fitting dress, so while I could have sized down, the dress would have been harder to get over my head. This is one of the reasons I added the waist ties, so I could cinch in my waist a bit. I did cut down the skirt length to fit my shorter legs better. I made the tier skirt option and made the top tier 12", cutting off about 1 5/8". I left the length on the bottom tier. My total skirt length came to just over 19" (with a 1/2" hem). For reference, my inseam to the floor is 27". Since this version is meant to be above the knee I didn't have to alter too much, but if you are taller and looking to make this dress, that's something you may want to note.
The botanical prints have become pretty popular and a google search produced multiple fabric options, as well as sheets. There are some stunning prints available on Spoonflower that you can get in cotton, although it can be expensive (and the mushroom fabric on Spoonflower is adorable!).
If you are on the lookout for some secondhand floral print sheets, I highly recommend checking sites like Etsy, Poshmark and Mercari. I have had luck at a few thrift stores for sheets (my favorite spot closed down due to COVID) but the more that people have been searching for secondhand sheets, the more there are being sold - it has become a huge selling niche in the secondhand market, much like quilts! Some keywords are "botanical" and "vintage floral", these terms may help with results. Pricing can get insanely high, especially with name brand bedding, but with a little time spent searching, you can find a great deal - and with Poshmark and Mercari, you are able to offer a lower price.
The very last detail to share on this dress is the addition of one of my new labels! I was gifted these from Dutch Label Shop, and intend to use them for my handmade bags but this label is also the perfect finishing touch on this dress!
These labels are simply stunning. I've purchased from Dutch Label Shop before and am always happy with the quality, but this label goes above and beyond anything I was expecting. It is so cool to see my little logo on a label - and I am so, so happy to sew with them! (If you are looking to get labels for your handmade wardrobe or products, check out Dutch Label Shop and use trishstitched15% at checkout for 15% off!)
Have a wonderful Sunday!
