
Salt and Pepper Dress : : Lara Sanner : : This Print on This Dress
Hey you.
Me again.
My dress today is the sole shirt dress that didn’t make it into the Sew Together for Summer Challenge. Strictly a time issue…I’ve got nothing but love for my Salt and Pepper Dress. It’s designed by Lara Sanner, a Spanish pattern maker who’s primary market is super cute children’s patterns.
If I were to write this blog post with only one sentence….HA….it might be Lara, please draft more women’s patterns.
Of course….it’s only in your dream world that my posts are articulated and succinct.
The Salt and Pepper Dress has several variations. My dress is the line drawing bottom right, the shirt dress with floaty skirt.
I’ve only made the sleeveless version to date, but there is an option for a cap sleeve that can be turned back on itself as an added design feature.
The dress has pockets and the coolest pockets they be. They are hidden in the seam line that connects the skirt to the bodice. They actually remind me of the pockets in the Oliver + S Roller Skate Dress I made years ago. For kids. Yep…the one that I wouldn’t mind making for myself.
I’ve sewn Salt and Pepper up as a shirt as well. It’s super cute…and goes with absolutely nothing in my wardrobe. Okay…not quite true…it goes with jeans…but I haven’t worn jeans since July.
Above is the back view. I’ve placed an arrow pointing to the {waist} seam line that sits significantly below the waist. The bodice is shaped at the side seams. Please forgive the cross-wise wrinkles…poor posture, not poor fit. The pattern offers three different versions of back yoke; a standard shirt yoke as mine is, a blocked yoke, and a pretty cutaway style.
The fabric is 100% cotton…..it has the tight weave of a quilting fabric, but it feels smoother with more drape. It’s another stash buster…fabric clearly waiting for this dress.
The Salt and Pepper Dress reminds me somewhat of my Midnight in Paris Dress. I can envision it sewn up in a lighter fabrication with some type of added trim. As much as I adore this print on this dress…I look forward to making another that highlights the seam work and silhouette.
Nuthin’ at all to do with the dress but I had to share a shot of the shoes and bag today. I bought the shoes at a local Winners store…they’re cheap, no other word for it….but they’re cute as a button and even if I get just one season out of them I’ll be happy. AND. Just one week later I found the straw bag at my local thrift store. I had been looking for just this purse…something smaller than my usual go-to straw summer bag. And…if the exterior isn’t cute enough for ya…it’s lined in blue gingham.
Thanks for your supportive comments on my last post. G is back behind the camera. I’m back walking the runway. We are in one of my favourite spots in all of Greater Vancouver, the village of Fort Langley. The CN Railway Station, built in 1915 is my stolid backdrop. I will be featuring other spots in the village in future posts.
A quick note to my subscribers by email. I have been toying with the idea of changing my blog post delivery method and unfortunately I don’t have the option of a private trial run….hence the abbreviated post you received last week. This week, we’re back to the full post being displayed…and things will remain as is for at least a little while longer.
Wearing:
Salt and Pepper Dress : : Lara Sanner

22 Comments
A very nice dress, Sue. Beautiful for summer.
Yes, I agree – it would be nice in a plain fabric to show the design lines. And I love your new shoes and bag. Isn’t the best when you find exactly what you’ve been wishing for. Both the shoes and bag look completely right with your dress. Being a shoe person, I really love the shoes!
And, of course, your location scouting always pays off with wonderful photos.
Thanks Barbara.
Sometimes a pattern doesn’t tell me ‘her’ whole story until after I’ve sewn it the first time. Do you ever get that too?
This pattern….oh my gosh…I’ve got all sorts of ‘new’ ideas percolating, number one being a plain fabric. But I’m getting a strong message that there’s room for some sort of embellishment.
I don’t sew a lot of dresses in the fall/winter so it may be spring when I play with it again. We’ll see.
How great is this pattern Sue! I confess I’d never heard of the designer before but now I’m intrigued! Also, yeah, totally love your shoes and bag too!!!
It is indeed great Sarah. I think there are many of us that don’t know Lara Sanner….I’m hoping to help change that, LOL! First heard of her through Suzy and the Shirt Dress Challenge.
It surprised me that the fabric is cotton. It drapes more like a, I dunno like a cotton-rayon blend. The print is lovely on you, but it would be nice to see the cool seam lines in a solid fabric.
Yes…it does have that drape not so typical of many cottons. It is a lovely quality and I’m happy I saved it for this dress.
You are cute as a button all by yourself! The whole outfit coordinates perfectly. That’s a lot of options in one pattern, especially for an indie designer – one that I hadn’t heard of either. Good score!
Tee Hee…thanks Louisa. You’re right….many Indie patterns have limited options within the pattern.
this dress is so cute and it looks great on you, i’ve seen some versions of this pattern on instagram and I so love the design, it has some design features that make it stand out from other patterns and yes I think it will look great in a solid to show off all those details.
Thanks Aida. I would assume Lara may be more well known in Europe. I do hope to see more patterns from her. Yep…a solid dress will be coming.
Oh, those tricky pockets – I love their unexpectedness. This dress is wonderful for summer, and the way you’ve styled it with that straw bag and cute shoes couldn’t be better. This is a winner. I have never been to Fort Langley. I should go some day.
Yep…a good place to hide treasures, yes?! Well…I’ll be showing more photos of Fort Langley in the next few months. Maybe that will entice you to take the road trip.
So cute and so you! Love the combination of pattern and fabric – and those shoes..!!
Aw…thanks so much Anne. I know. The. SHOES. They were the only ones in the store that I could see so I really feel I lucked out.
Some interesting lines to vary the usual style of shirt dresses around at the moment, a few nice options on this pattern – those pockets are great! I love how yours came out ;o)
And there are a lot of shirt dresses going around these days. I have one other that I recently bought that I hope to get too as well. If I put some effort into tweaking patterns I may not have ‘needed’ all these patterns, but they are certainly fun!
Those darling shoes and bag are perfect for your dress!
What luck finding that handbag. Soon you will be able to shop Talize and visit lovely Fort Langley. Did you stop at The Blacksmith Bakery? I want to go every time we are there.
The dress looks so comfy.
bisous
Suzanne
Thanks Suzanne.
I know your love affair with The Blacksmith Bakery. So do many others. It’s always so busy in there. So, to answer your question, no we did not go there this time, LOL. There’s a couple of new restaurants that we’re definitely going to try out.
This is a lovely summer dress – I like the simple shape and cool pocket design. I recently acquired a sewing machine, so perhaps some day I’ll be able to make something like this for myself.
Thanks Shelley!
I am so excited that you’ve got yourself a sewing machine. I have no doubts that you could make a dress like this, but that being said….I can totally see you sewing some beautiful kimonos…unless of course, you already have too many.
Soooo cute. I would like to see the details, though. I am so into drop waist dresses lately. Mark my words. Drop waist is gonna be the next big thing. Which reminds me of your Midnight in Paris dress which is and always will be amazing.
Thanks Connie. Me too. Me too. I love drop waist dresses too! You are right…this dress deserves to have the details highlighted. A dress will be coming, I promise. Oops….as soon as I promise something, things go sideways. But seriously, I really want to do a plain fabric version of this dress.