Spring has definitely sprung here in North Carolina. We’ve already had heat waves into the high 80’s. I’m ready to welcome spring, complete with the yellow hilighter explosion of pollen. Seriously, the pollen piles up in the road likes snow and you can see car tracks and foot prints. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

It’s been a while since I’ve made anything for myself, and today I’m back with my first dress of spring: a Moneta by Colette Patterns. It is extremely popular throughout the blogosphere, and for good reason.  It is easy to make, fits well, is comfortable, and is versatile. This is my fourth Moneta, but actually the first one in color. The first three versions are all black and white, and can be found here, here, and here.

For this version, I used a floral rayon knit from Hancock Fabrics. It may look familiar from the baby skirt on my last post. I was able to snag it for half off (after a little debate with the manager), for just over $7 per yard. Rayon is breathable, so this dress should be great for our hot North Carolina summers.

Since the Moneta is pretty much a tried-n-true pattern for me now, it went together easily. On this version I used the short sleeves and included pockets. I cut it out one weekend, and sewed it together the next. It is probably my best version yet in terms of finishing. Almost all of the seams were sewn on my sewing machine using a zig-zag stitch, and then serged. I find that I like that finish better than simply serging. It’s fun to have two differernt colors of thread (I used hot pink in the sewing machine and white in the serger), plus I think that the stitches are a little far apart when using the serger to sew a seam on its own.

I’m pretty happy with this dress. It definitely passes the comfort test, as I knew it would from my other versions. My only complaint is that I may have made it a touch too long. Right now it looks like it could be targeted towards modest dressers. That has its perks, including being appropriate for sitting on blankets at summer picnics and outdoor concerts. It might be more flattering if it were a tad shorter though. I’ll wear it a few more times and then decide if the length still bothers me. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy our spring without worrying about it!

Pattern: Moneta by Colette Patterns in size extra small

Fabric: 2.5 yards of rayon knit from Hancock Fabrics

Notions: clear elastic

Cost: $ 17.98 + elastic and thread from stash  = $17.98

Time: 5 hours