Paper Fan Dress

Hello Janome pals!

I am so thrilled to be able to share this new free pattern that I've designed for you! The Paper Fan Dress is ready for your sewing pleasure! My original inspirations for this dress were drawn from one of my favorite paintings by John Singer Sargent. I only took one direct, simple cue from the high-waisted style of the dresses the girls in the painting are wearing.

Also, the detail of the paper lanterns shown in the painting called to mind the paper fans I made as a child in the hot weather, which eventually had me naming this dress as such and including pleats into the design. More than through specific details, though, this painting inspired me mostly by how it at once illustrates the simplicity of childhood pleasures and the splendor of a summer evening. So more than anything, I wanted to design a frock that would be lightweight, fuss-free and very versatile to help little girls enjoy all that summer offers.

I made this dress using the Janome 4120 QDC, which is such a little workhorse of a machine. It hums along so smoothly, and the buttonholes are that the attachment makes are absolutely perfect. There are a few steps that require going through quite a few layers of pleats, but no one told the k=machine that, because they breezed right through. We are polishing off the final edits to the highlights video, so check back on my Janome page for that next week. I think the videos, while they don't cover the whole process, definitely share some insight into the process that hopefully you'll find helpful.

I hope you're enjoying these goreous summer days, and I look forward to sharing more with you soon!

XO,
Anna Maria