Fluorescent Pink dress and T shirt

I came across this fluorescent pink fabric a few weeks back and its just sat there in my fabric stash and  I decided I really should get round to making something in this before the summer is over.

I love fluorescents but they can be hard to wear and it very much depends on my personal confidence levels as to whether I am currently able to handle them.

They do kind of work with hot summer weather though. It has already gone from very hot to rainy but its not yet too late for a summer dress. I feel I should use this fabric while its still new because its the kind of colour I may just decide in a years time that I hate and cannot handle and then it will remain my my fabric stash till who knows when, so I went for a simple fast to make vest dress and cropped raglan long sleeved top over it to make it wearable for both hot sunny and cold rainy days.

Its a stretch polyester crepe fabric. I actually said I would never buy any more of this crepe stuff but in this case the crepe is not obvious and quite subtle and has a much less obvious crepe texture than many of these fabrics, and to be perfectly honest I surprisingly decided the right side of this fabric is OK for this. Usually I use the reverse because I see this fabric as old-lady-ish. Maybe its the bright pink makes it acceptable? Who knows.

Anyway I cut this out one evening and sewed it Saturday morning and wore it Saturday afternoon. I went food shopping in it and have to say it turned heads in Aldi and that does not happen much these days. I am usually too boring in my dress to get noticed.

This is very bright though. A true fluorescent.

Seems all ages and all genders noticed this bright pink dress. But then it is "in yer face". I have some ancient DC trainers which include fluorescent pink and they went very well with this look.

Especially since it was a very rainy cold day so the high top shoes kept me warm. It was actually raining when we took the photos hence they are a bit uninteresting because I was pretty cold.

Honestly what you do for blogging!


I used my well used, and starting to fall appart and I need to trace a new version, dress pattern: McCalls M6612 but I left the sleevs off and shortened the skirt a bit, and I previously made a different view of this top which is Butterick B5679.

I left the collar off for the bright pink though because it seemed a bit OTT to have the cowl neck when its the middle of summer. I did toy with adding a hood but in the end went for the plain wide boat neck instead. I think its a good choice. I extended the sleeves a litter bit too much.

The original black top had slightly too short sleeves which annoys me every time I wear it so I added a few inches but now they are just slightly too long. They work OK rolled up for now and to be perfectly honest standing there in the rain with my sleeves over my hands was much better than being cold.

Its all overlocked in white because I had no fluoro pink thread and then twin needle stitched in black because I thought it looked more punk than white (and it was already threaded in the machine making it easier and faster to make). It looks quite nice I think with the contrast stitching.

So not the hardest outfit to make, or the most inventive outfit, but I have to say despite the crepe polyester fabric I love this new look and intend to wear this loads for the rest of this summer.

See you next week

Bracken