It’s been over a month since my knee injury, but in that time, I’ve been able to design and complete this handmade Valentines heart dress! I designed the fabric the first week I was sleeping on my couch, with nowhere to go and nothing to do but watch TV and draw. By using my iPad and iPad pencil to sketch these tiny hand drawn hearts, I was able to manipulate them on photoshop to create a simple repeat pattern. While sometimes I create more complicated fabric patterns, I knew for this dress that I was going to mix a few prints, so I decided that a simpler pattern on a smaller scale would be better. 
This print and 4 coordinating patterns that tie to it are available for sale in my Spoonflower shop. Even though I made it for Valentines Day, I actually think that these prints could be used for various purposed all year long!
Once I received the fabric in the mail, the next step was deciding what style of dress to make with it. I usually make my own patterns, but because of my injury I decided to find an easy style that would highlight the patterns well, and would have relatively few pattern pieces. I settled on Vogue 9185, and made a few changes, including shortening the hem and limiting the stripe panel to the front only.
I somehow managed to cut out all of the pattern pieces on my kitchen table (very slowly) with my knee in a brace, and then sewed the entire dress in one sitting the next day. Cutting was by far the hardest part; moving around the table and trying to lay out the fabric while on crutches was exhausting!
The reward finally came last week when the doctor said I could start taking my brace off for longer periods of time. That meant that in order to take these pictures this past weekend in Sonoma, all I had to do was set my crutches aside and smile!
I really love how this Valentines heart dress came out. While the fabrics are bright and fun, the simple shift silhouette made it wearable. The quirky vibe reminds me of Prada or Moschino, and I think paired with easy white sneakers, the look is perfect for elevated everyday style.
What do you think of my DIY valentines heart dress? Are you ready to start learning to sew yourself?
Sunglasses: Diff Eyewear #CompaniesthatGiveBack
Blazer: Zara
Sneakers: Converse
Bag: Issey Miyake
