It's not easy being green. People tend to think you're in Slytherin.

Here's what I was wearing on New Year's Eve! I wanted a dress that was pretty enough by itself, but also warm and comfortable enough to walk around outside in Reykjavik for a long time without getting too cold. Enter the Esja dress!

(I'll give you a minute to take in the view)

I ordered a green textured cotton online a few months ago, and was slightly disappointed by the colour when it arrived. It had looked a nice emerald in the picture, but was a lot brighter in real life, and didn't really suit my skin tone. At first I considered giving it away, but then I realised I could dye it to a nicer shade... So the entire piece got tossed into the washing machine with some forest green dye and I crossed my fingers. The end result was exactly the colour I was looking for, even if it came out a lottle mottled and splotchy (due to me not being able to get the whole piece damp enough I think, but it adds character! I actually like it).

The colour doesn't really show well in these pictures (it was around 11 in the morning and the sun had not been up for long, haha!), it's a bit lighter and greener in real life. I used Simplicity 2444, a great basic pattern I've used before to make my Space Oddity dress. I used the same changes I made to the bodice before (scooping out the neckline in the front and back), added the long sleeves and omitted the sashes.

I think it turned out pretty well! The four darts in the front bodice give it a lovely shape, and the entire dress feels relaxed and comfortable. I wore a thermal undershirt with it, cut down so it wouldn't show with the scoop back (and thereby defeating the entire purpose of a thermal undershirt). During the day I was fine with just wearing my coat over it, but at night I layered it up a notch with a woolen cardigan.

Here you can see the colour differences in the fabric pretty well. I really like the full skirt that comes with this pattern, it has a nice shape but not too much fulness around the waistline. I fully lined the dress and hemmed it using a bias tape facing, quite possibly my favourite hemming method!

So, what did me and my dress get up to?

Not much, really.

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Oh, and just a public service announcement: this weekend (Saturday the 18th) is the time for the second Belgian Blogger Meet! The fun is happening in Antwerp this time, and it looks like loads of people are going to be there. We meet at Viggo's coffee bar at 10 to prepare for a day of fabric shopping, swapping, museum visits and fun. If you want to join us, drop me a line at annekecaramin(at)hotmail(dot)com and I'll send out more details!