Finishing a Long Overdue Project

Feels good doesn't it? Finishing a project that's been languishing around for many years?

Yesterday I told you I was going to sew some buttons I bought at Goodwill onto a 40's day dress.

I've been dragging this dress around for almost 8 years. It was in the scrap pile when I worked at Ragpickers. It was a mess. It has split seams all over the place, the hem had fallen, some light fading, a few small stains and it was missing 7 buttons. The only thing it had going for it at the time was the incredibly cute and soft fabric.

Those three buttons sitting on my coffee table are what's left of the dresses original buttons. 

I begged my boss if I could have it. She said sure. I had big hopes and dreams of fixing it all up. I sorted out the stains and spit seams fairly quickly, then lost steam. A few years ago I pressed and pinned up the hem and never sewed it.

And so it hung in my closet, pinned hem and all, and I continued to drag it around. Part of the reason it took me so long is that I could never really find the right buttons for it at the right price. I need 10 fairly large buttons which wouldn't compete with the dress. Oh, and I refused to pay more than $5 for them. Sounds easy right? Well, I'm picky and the right ones never came along.

When I found those buttons in the 25 cent bin at Goodwill I was pretty excited. I know they're nothing to look at, but they fit the bill. There were exactly 10 of them and they were a great price!

I cannot wait to wear this dress next summer. I'm not sure if the fabric is cotton or a cotton rayon blend, but it is the most soft fabric I've ever felt and it's incredibly lightweight. Plus it has that adorable Pan print! I've always loved novelty print day dresses and now I finally have one!

Here's a close up of the buttons for you. I sewed them on with pink thread for a little interest.

Have you saved a seemingly hopeless piece of vintage before? Or have you got a project you've been dragging around for almost a decade like me? Do tell!

Lisa.xo