Franken-dress
I'm working on a post about my wedding dress but in the meantime I'm obsessed this dress from
Asos...
I'm a lover of maxi dresses and I think this could be a good option for fall. It looks a little dressy but I think with flats it could be casual enough for dinner with the husband or a not-too fancy party. I probably wouldn't wear it to Target or anything, but I could see it working for dinner out with friends.
Anyway, I'm wondering if I could Frankenstein it with the top of a pattern like
Simplicity 1872,
and the bottom of the Anna Dress from By Hand London...
I actually have a McCalls pattern that's similar in some ways to the Asos dress but it's made for knits and sort of looks a beach cover up, so I'm thinking the structure of the Anna skirt is needed to make this look more like a dress I would wear over a real bra with underwire instead of a bikini top.
But now for the real issue. The dress from Asos is $54, which isn't cheap but also isn't a horrible price considering the amount of fabric the dress uses. I already own the Simplicity pattern but I'd have to buy the Anna pattern (about $26) and fabric (I would imagine I would need 3 to 4 yards and I don't have enough of anything appropriate in my stash). Since this is just a fun dress to wear to dinner I probably wouldn't spend tons on the fabric, but even at 4-5 dollars a yard the Asos dress is probably a better deal. I know I would have fun making it but I have a million other projects I would have fun making too so entertainment is not my top priority. Also, I know the dress I made would probably be a little better quality, but since this isn't something that I'd wear all the time (like a pair of jeans or a coat) I'm not super concerned about it lasting forever. Finally, considering the dress is not supposed to be super tight, I don't think I would have a problem with fitting if I ordered it. So all of my normal reasons for sewing (fit, quality, price) are not as relevant as they usually are.
It's funny how much of a dilemma something like this is to me now. Before I knew how to sew I would have just ordered it, no questions asked. Now I almost feel like its a moral issue! So my question is, what would you do? Do you make things when you know you could buy them cheaper and the fit and quality would probably be similar?
My buying vs. sewing rules are:
I buy things that seem boring to make and I can buy cheaply (like white v-neck tshirts) or that I couldn't replicate at home (like if they are made of some incredible fabric and I don't think I could find something similar).
What are your rules? And if someone just wants to tell me to buy and and get over my sewer's guilt, that's ok too :)
