1930s tea dress Pattern: My own (see preliminary sketches here). Fabric: dusky pink rayon/cotton blend printed with miniscule stripes and rose clusters; cream-colored cotton for collar and cuffs; vintage lace trim Construction Notes: The dress is cut in two pieces and joined at the waistband. The skirt has darts in the front and back to give it a slim, fitted shape, and the "flare" of the skirt is provided by inserts on each side (see a sketch here). The top is gathered into the waistband and the whole thing zips up the back with an invisible zipper. Miscellaneous Ramblings: This is one of my favorite dresses! It also happens to be the first pattern I ever drafted myself. Since I had no idea what I was doing, I'm amazed it turned out so well. :) I learned a lot during the making of this dress. The last photo is from a "girls only" trip to Chicago my mom and I took in August 2005. On a Sunday afternoon, we stopped by the Drake Hotel to take tea. It is a really lovely setting and it was nice to relax after lots of walking around the city during the previous days. Several people stopped to tell me how much they liked my hat and dress. :) back