Moonrise Kingdom Dress

I know I am so late to this party, but I saw Moonrise Kingdom for  the first time a couple of weeks ago.  What an adorable movie!  I have loved Wes Anderson ever since I first saw The Life Aquatic when I was in high school and immediately knit myself a little red cap just like in the movie. I had a similar feeling the moment I saw this cute little pink dress in Moonrise Kingdom:

I made my version out of a pink linen from my stash:

The pattern is a bit of a hack.  The skirt you may recognize as a Deer and Doe Belladone, with some of the fullness taken out of it (but pockets intact!), the bodice is Burda 2/2014 #101, and the collar and cuffs are self drafted.  I used Gertie’s series of videos on collar drafting to draft the collar.  Her instructions were great but I wasn’t thrilled with the end result.  I think the problem is primarily that I used the wrong weight of interfacing.  The collar is wicked stiff and needs a lot of pressing to lay flat.  BUT all that being said, I love the dress and I’ve been wearing it all the time!

This was my first time working with linen, and it was a dream to sew with. Coming off of a run with silk chiffon, velvet and rayon challis, I was looking for something easier to work with and that’s what I got!  The layout and cutting was a dream compared to the rayon.  No special foot or hand basting required here, what a nice break!

 

We took these photos on the farm while we were home visiting my dad for Easter. My dad’s kitten Thelma came along for the photo shoot.  Even after she jumped out of the basket she followed us quite a ways up the road- like a little dog.