Dressylicious.

Hello!

Back after another week away from blogging, work load, you know the thing, will just skim over it because it's very boring. Just to say sorry for yet another absence.

In my last blog post, I said I'd tell you more about the dress I was wearing under the dress I knitted, in the photo above.

It's a dress I love to wear, and I can imagine other people loving wearing it too, so I thought I'd share my source with you.

I didn't sew it myself, it was made by Kate at Harmony and Rosie, and bought from her shop.

I tell you, it was bloomin freezing when these phots were taken by Helen.

Helen Stephens. I've mentioned her work on my blog before. She's also a very lovely friend, it was extremely nice of her to stand out in the cold with me and take these photos.

Actually, she's just had another fabulous book published, which might interest those of you who know, or have small people in your life. It's called "The Big Adventure of The Smalls", and you can see it on Amazon UK here, or Amazon US here.

Helen has a blog called "oh, I forgot to say", and in one of her latest blog entries she shows her drawings of my Miniature Wire Haired Dachshunds, Ellie and Douglas. She's borrowed them a couple of times to draw them, because....................... !!!! She's doing a children's book in which they are the stars!!!!!!!!!!!!

Imagine if your children were starring in a book, and the author was producing lots of drawings of your beloved children for the book, you might well feel thrilled about it.

Well, it's the same if you have beloved dogs, there are lots of happy feelings involved in seeing your children/dogs being drawn for a book.

If you want to see some of Helen's drawings of the doggies, go to this link.

So, back to the dress.

Without a belt, or with belt? What do you think? I just can't decide.

Maybe it's a mood thing, how I wear it depends on how I feel on the day?

I really love this dress, and I'm so glad I bought it from Kate. It's made in linen and comes with full care instructions. The colour isn't a colour way that Kate shows in her shop yet. I emailed her asking if the Iona Tunic dress was available in any other colours than the dress shown in her shop, and she photographed this colour fabric, and emailed it to me, and I knew immediately it was the one.

This dress is so, so comfortable, and I think it's a timeless piece too, I shall wear it till it becomes a limp rag. I find the pockets very handy and nice to use, (the dresses I have that don't have pockets now seem incomplete). It's made with a linen fabric, which crumples, but that is part of it's charm, that elegant crumple of linen, and I actually like it's look.

This blue green colour is a colour I'm very "in" to at the moment. I've started a new knitting project in a blue green wool. It's a very clever but complicated knitting pattern (for something that appears relatively simple), and requires a small amount of gritting of the teeth and bearing the pain stoically in the following of the pattern.

Maybe I'll save showing you what the pattern is till my Friday blog post, rather than over-loading you with too many links and images.

Yes, Friday's post it is, showing you what I'm knitting.

Till then, take care, may the sun shine on you, and now I'm tip-toeing off back to work.

Cheerio.

Vanessa xxx

Comments

[Stephanie]

Ahh, Vanessa! I've had my eye on that dress for a while now. Timeless, versatile and very, very pretty. (I am so tempted to add: 'just like you' ;-) )

I'm off to look at your friend Helen's blog. Fabulous; more inspiration!

[Heather]

It's a lovely dress and really suits you x

[Crafted by Carly]

Lovely dress! And a lovely colour - which really suits you!
Hmmmmm..... Belt or no belt? Well, normally I'd say no belt (I'm not usually too keen on dresses with belts). BUT I do really like the shape of this dress WITH the belt too. A tricky dilemma!!! I say swap and change - belt sometimes, no belt sometimes. I LOVE versatile clothes!!! ;-)
I'm definitely going to check out Helen's blog - she sounds like a very talented lady!
Carly
x

[Siobhan]

The dress colour is lovely and I do like it with the splash of red from the belt. Either way looks lovely. I find belts not so comfy to wear though - especially if I've eaten too much pudding! I do like linen, I used to think it was like cotton but it isn't at all the same. Well done on finding such a pretty and classic dress.

I had a look at the pictures of the doggies, they are gorgeous aren't they? It's great to hear they are going to be stars in their very own book. Much deserved I think.

[Kate]

Linen is lovely to wear- cool in Summer and surprisingly cosy when it is chill and it gets even better with age.
Dogs starring in a book is mega exciting.

[Annie]

Lovely Vanessa :D

I'm a big fan of Kate's clothes, but I'm waiting to fill my wardrobe with them until I have lost a bit of weight.

As for Douglas and Ellie appearing in a book ... Wilbur dachsie is very jealous ;D

[Alessandra]

Yes, it's a nice dress!! I think it will be fine a linen dress like yours even here in JK : perfect, I think!!
xxx Alessandra

[Jo Norman]

Oh my ... how I love that dress but I shall have to block this blog post from my mind until the end of the year. You see I've promised not to buy any new clothes in 2012 so however much I'm tempted (which I am) I will have to resist. I LOVE dresses with pockets too!

[Magic Cochin]

Pockets are an artist's dream thing! I can't work without wearing clothes with pockets :-)

And crumpled linen is the comfiest thing too... I think without a belt if you're sitting at your desk working. Maybe with if you're walking on the beach - it will stop your dress billowing out like a sail ;-)

Take care, happy knitting :-)
In fact I feel a sewing phase coming on...

Celia
x

[maggie]

Love frocks with pockets, cardis with pockets, skirts with pockets... they are such useful things to have, though the dusty mess that seems to accumulate in the bottom of my cardi pockets can be a bore to clean out.... a bit like belly button fluff only worse!
Lovely frock, shame she doesn't cater for the more generously proportioned!

[Fleur Cotton]

Looking forward to seeing your new knitting project...roll on Friday!

Fleur xx

[Maggie Cawthorn]

Love the dress, but it's at its best with your lovely tunic over it. Just wanted to say I bought your lovely card set ... thanks so much I won't be able to part with them ... far too lovely.

[Sparkle and CO]

I really love it, colour is timeless and you can wear it as you want (dress, tunique, high heels etc)

[Carol]

Lovely dress, I like her 'Darcy' design too. I think 'yes' to the belt but nice to have the option depending on how your are feeling that day.
Lovely doggy drawings, how exciting!
Carol xx

[Caffeine Girl]

What a great, versatile dress. But I have to say that I really love the knitted one.

It would be wonderful to have a person link to a book!

[Planet Penny]

Your dress is fab, and I love the colour, it really suits you. I've just been cooing over the sketches of Douglas and Ellie, Helen has really captured their personalities in just few lines , they are so cute. Tim keeps talking about a second dachshund as a friend for Higgins and he'd love a wire haired one. I'm still not convinced I could possibly cope with another small opinionated doggy in the house, bossing me around!
Have a lovely weekend xxx

[peli]

love the dress...id say i like it better with the belt and even better with the red lace dress over it!!!! its just perfect in every way...

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What a great, versatile dress. But I have to say that I really love the knitted one.

[Jan Howe]

you look lovely....I love the knitted one.

[converse cuir homme]

Crec que les butxaques molt pràctic i agradable d'usar, (els vestits que tinc que no tenen butxaques ara sembla incompleta). Està fet amb una tela de lli que s'arruga, però això és part del seu encant, que es plegués elegant de roba, i realment m'agrada és mirar.

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