Since I just posted about my December dress it should come as no surprise that January's dress is still more idea than finished garment. I'm not really too worried about my "deadlines" though - they're more like guidelines really and the fabric for February's dress will not be here until at least the 16th anyway. I thought it would be fun to share my ideas for January's dress because I've been building it in my head for a while.

That's the fabric above. It's from the stash and I don't know the fibre content. It behaves a bit like a linen blend the way it drapes and folds. I like the colours in it. The ribbon is also from the stash and was one of the first things I picked out once I'd decided on my fabric. The straps on this green dress are exactly what I'd love to do with my ribbon (isn't that dress cute!). I don't find dresses gathered at the waist to be the most flattering on me so I'm planning to do an A-line shape instead. Something like this:

It is pretty much my orange top from last summer but full length. I think I'll use the same pattern pieces as November's dress, since I like the shape of it so much, but change the neckline so I can thread the ribbon through. I've been trying to decide if I should cut the dress straight of grain or on the bias. Right now I like the idea of cutting the dress straight and having a raw edged bias strip down the front but that is going to depend a bit on how much fabric I've actually got - bias cutting always takes more than I think it will.