When I think back on the 90s, I have such fond memories of rolling up to middle school every day in my older sister’s Ford Probe while she rocked out to Nirvana and I hoping that maybe we could pop in my Boyz II Men cassette tape for just a second, spending countless hours worrying if Dylan would choose Brenda or Kelly, and feeling bad ass wearing my shirt that we tie-dyed that weekend in the backyard. You see, tie dying was the thing to do when I was younger. It was the extent to my craftiness. This photo will give you a visual of how fashion forward I was in 1991. Take your time. Soak it in. 
Anyways, so you can imagine my delight when shibori dyed fabric made its resurgence here in my adult life. Shibori, for those of you who are wondering, is “a Japanese dyeing technique that typically involves folding, twisting or bunching cloth and binding it, then dyeing it in indigo.” Thanks Google. So of course I wanted to try my hand at it. But oh yeah..wait…I have a 9 month old, clingy teething baby. Sigh. Where does the time go? But thank goodness April Rhodes has done it again! Designed a beautiful fabric making all my tie dye dreams come true without having to do any work! 
So in case I wasn’t clear, NO I did not tie dye this shirt. The fabric is an indigo print design, printed in a buttery soft voile from Art Gallery Fabric’s Observer Collection by April Rhodes. I love this entire collection, but was very excited when I saw this print was done in the voile, the perfect drape for a flowy top just for me. 
For the sewing pattern of my shirt, I used the Lou Box Top from Indiesew.com. I wanted a pattern that would give me the opportunity to use the voile, but I didn’t want to fuss with a zipper or back closure. Plus it gave me options for altering the hem a variety of different ways. So this was the perfect pattern for the job. 
Please enjoy the wrinkles that come with a long sweaty day of tooting around a toddler on my hip. Hashtag mom life.
One of these days I will try my hand at shibordi dying. Maybe a future girls night? Or moms-day- in. (Is that a thing?) In the mean time, its good to know April Rhodes and Art Gallery Fabrics will continue to supply me with just what I need.
xx
