I have a confession to make (that’s a pretty common theme around here): before this winter I hadn’t worn a turtleneck in at least 15 years, probably closer to 20. I have a deep and abiding fear that I will look like this, plus I’m a little self-conscious about my family chin:
Since sewing is all about conquering my fears, I jumped at the chance to test the Trudy (affiliate link) when Christina previewed it in December, and challenged myself to make a turtleneck feel modern and wearable. I opted for a sleeveless version to help it feel lighter and used bold, diagonal black and white stripes from Piccadilly to give it a mod feel. The statement ponytail goes the rest of the distance to making me feel like an Austin Powers Sidekick. The Trudy’s sewn up by the other testers were so inspiring!
Since I feel so gorgeous every time I wear my Trudy, when Christina previewed the Asta (affiliate link) dress I (again) jumped at the chance to challenge myself with another turtleneck. This time I wanted to make it modern, but also a little feminine given the fullness of the skirt. I admit I had a really hard time picking my fabric for the dress – I considered polka dots, big flowers, little flowers, bright solids, and neutrals. I finally settled on another bold stripe thinking that it would work well with the structure of the pattern. This grey and black is a ponte de roma from Michael Levine’s in DTLA, and it is absolute perfection!
Photo by @fotog.gal Marj Dee
Man, I love this dress. I shortened the bodice by 1″, and raised the hem 2 1/2″, both of which are fairly typical for me. The hem is designed to fall just below the knee, but given my height and the visual heaviness of the fabric, I wanted to go just a bit shorter. Plus pockets! Who doesn’t love a dress with pockets?
The pattern also comes with a seriously gorgeous boatneck (my absolute favorite neckline to wear), so I snuck in one more version before the pattern released. I didn’t get to take advantage of Marj’s awesome photography, so this is courtesy of my 3 year old. I had the panel custom printed, and this stunning floral is from Made Whimsy. This one got an even shorter hem to make it a perfect Spring/ Summer frock.
The pattern is on sale through 2/1/2017, and Christina will be hosting a sewalong in the facebook group! I encourage you to join in.
Photo courtesy of my 3yo
Mommy’s little helper
DoodleNumber5 
You look fabulous. I had a favorite turtle neck back in the 90’s that i loved. Thankfully I never looked like the photo you feared! o.O
STAHPPPPP being so fabulous!!! Girl these are all gorgeous makes!!