I love using large prints and yet that’s breaking the rules for petites like me. Julia Allison Cost hand paints the local plants in Hawaii and she then chooses the best prints for fabric.

Vogue 8906 is a simple top pattern that has minimal darts with a back zipper which I used for this dress.

I need light weight clothes that allow me to cool down when my body has hot flashes. This fabric is printed on a nice weight cotton fabric.

Using this fabric to extend this top to a dress that I can wear easily in Summer is an excellent pairing.

The shoulder seams have been adjusted for forward shoulders.

I lengthened the top to mid-calf length but that didn’t look great for me. Maybe for a formal dress you need cute heels for, but not this time.

Once I made the dress I hand stitched the front darts so they’re in the right place for this dress. The darts were designed for a top and not a dress, so a bit of handsewing was worth doing.

I wore this dress on a humid Spring night and it was so comfy and also looked special.

If you’re a petite, use a plain pattern design for any large scale prints that you want to wear. Break those petite rules and enjoy the clothes you make and wear.