Several months ago at Mary Jo’s Cloth in Gastonia, I found a wonderful linen-look fabric in the anime quilt fabric section. Yes, the anime quilting section. Don’t act like you don’t shop it. I crooned to it and it followed me home. This may be my favorite dress of the summer and its only April! I’m becoming sheath obsessed. Many contrasting fabric ideas circled my pointed head, but you know- this fabric needs no enhancement. So a small red bias tape trim separated 2 seams and hopefully drew the eyes upward- I’ve been told recently by a very smart lady that this is a good thing! The pattern:
Ready?
I first saw this pattern back in May of 2013 in a very frisky snakey pants suit on My Art Attack now she is back conveniently on Pattern Review with another this week- go see that, but OHH and AHH over me first of course. Sadly, some cats were decapitated during this make- I am most sorrowful. 
Ok, I skipped the zip- are you shocked? You know if I can wiggle in it, I will forgo a zipper. Even if I have to grease these pork chops to do it! I got mixed reactions at work. I think my office mates are now to jaded by my foolishness to even blink at a lucky cat sheath dress on a tuesday. Some really liked it and told me- some avoided my gaze. Well, poo poo platter on them! I love it!!!!
Now If I were the fair Gjeometry, I’d give you a very interesting history of the Lucky Cat and we would all be edified. But I’m immature. I look at them and think they are either signalling the waiter or trying to teach a small child to high-five! What’s your feeling on all things Lucky and such?
photo credits: pattern review, Pinterest, meadhawg. All images remain the property of their original owners.
Lucky indeed! I’m loving your creations and this is another new highlight! The sheath, the red line, and the decapitated yet lucky kitty’s! I’m always in favour of shimmying into a frock … and, are you soliciting next to that sign??
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I will never tell how I get my fabric money, Ma’am!!!
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Simple and elegant and I think you could even have added that second red line since it is indeed a strip that enhances your assets, no? Is there a jacket to follow? The one on the envelope is cute! The leggings make it to ethnic and modern!
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I love that jacket pattern- it may have to happen!
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Hahaha! I love the story as much as the dress! 😉 so cool!!
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Thank you!!
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Seriously flattering on you. What’s a few cats heads in the name of fashion anyway?!
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Thank you! Fashion hurts, right?
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Awesome. I think you office mates are just jealous. Love it when you can skip the zip – there are some styles that just don’t need it.
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This is my 4th make in a row that Ive managed to leave out the zip- hopefully my luck will hold out!!
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Haa haa haa haaa! The last photo has me giggling enough to make the DH give me the hairy eyeball. I LOVE this sheath dress. The red piping is purrrrrfect. If said lucky cat print came in an non tan background it too would have followed me home.
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I think I saw it in black, too…..
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This is gorgeous on you, Anne!!!! And amen on the zipper skipping. I’ve been getting away with that way too much lately. I just tuck the girls in somehow, smooth it down, and hope for the best. Love that red detail. You are slaying the Lucky Cat motif!!!
Shelley
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Sometimes I just dont know why a zip is even involved!?
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Love the caption on the last picture! LOL! Super cute dress too–love the kitty print and the pop of red! And any dress you can skip the zip on is a win in my book. 🙂 You definitely need to make the jacket in red to coordinate.
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I think its a plan now- a jacket must happen. Im not huge on all that exposed Anne in the back….
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I really like this pattern. The cat pattern is wonderful and it’s okay that a few were decapitated. After all, it was for the sake of fashion 😉
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Sometimes you’ve just got to lose some cats!
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I don’t think anyone can go wrong with kitty cats and a sheath dress!
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Amen!
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That is beautiful fabric and I love that you used contrasting piping in the bodice seam. I am sure the Lucky Cats heads are not gone, just hanging out in the seam allowance. I love it! It is Lucky Cats and you can’t go wrong with that.
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It was a challenge to find a pattern that didnt break up the pattern at all but wasnt a sack- minimal cat loss is doable!
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Teehee, poor decapitated kitties, strange the others don’t seem to have a problem that their friends are headless!!
I love the pop of bias – really nice
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They knew they were lucky!
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Love it! All of it. The cats (headless and all), the style, the piping. Simply fabulous!
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Thank you so much!
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It’s so fab! I love the quilting cottons!
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I usually avoid them- they look so scraggilly after a few washes- I think this was misplaced- it has almost a barkcloth texture
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Err totally love it. Where is this anime shop and when can I visit! I have a lucha libre top which gets much the same marmite type reaction.
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I love that! Can you hike to North Carolina?
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I may consider it for fabric
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Woah, you *are* The Leader of the (cat) Pack, Top Cat and the most stylish of the Cat Pack. I might need a Cat Nap now, wish me dressy dreams.
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May all your dreams have seams, baby!
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I love this dress! The cats and the red bias working very well together. Gorgeous.
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Thank you- Im looking forward to wearing this alot!
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Oooo cats! Of course you couldn’t resist a cat fabric. How could anyone. 😉 It looks very cute on you.
I don’t get the Lucky Cat thing myself. In fact I didn’t even know it was a thing. I just vaguely recall seeing it somewhere else. A cat with its paw in the air? Well of course it’s just reaching up to play with something – probably something you’d rather it wouldn’t shred.
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Its a restaurant thing, maybe?
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LOVE this dress! It’s so fab! I just picked up this pattern yesterday, actually- made a pilgrimage to Jo-Ann’s and snapped it up in the $1 Simplicity sale!
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That is an omen, obviously!!!
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I don’t have anything as amazing as these kitty cats, though!
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Hi Anne, I’ve turned into a lurker and hadn’t commented for a while but i gotta tell you that this dress is fantastic! The print is awesome, funny and visually striking at the same time. Poopoo platter indeed if they dont get it, strut your stuff girl!
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Aw thank you! I feel quite frisky in this!
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This is fantastic! If I saw lucky cats if have to have them too. And the dress is stunning. The red piping is brilliant and the shape is stellar. Fabulous!
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Thank you! Im already thinking of other fabric ideas for this pattern!
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What a fabulous dress. Love that it is a wacky print on a neutral fabric. And that zip – sorry no zip – pop of red – fantastic.
I am a lover of the sheath too and will probably start whipping out some winter ones soon.
Personally I think the lucky cat is waiting for a scratch under the arm. My big cat loves to be scratched there and lifts her arms appropriately.
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A mystery solved!
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I’d love to have your vision of fabric=pattern. I usually stick to plains – time to branch out? Great dress.
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You have a leopard SWAP! You have passed plains. Sometimes my plans are really just ill-fated textile/pattern blind dates!
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I love it!! You look amazing, it’s such a fun dress, and flattering too! Lucky cats indeed… MEEE-OW! 😉
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This is such fun, but the print is also quite sedate, really — the neutral tones are perfect. I love the addition of the red trim, it looks great. This is the perfect outfit for the dignified crazy cat lady 😉
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Being a loon with dignity- I love it!!
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There are tales of Maneki Neko in Japanese folklore and increasingly popular among Chinese businesses as well he’s actually beckoning customers into the shop. He’s also the big daddy of Hello Kitty! There’s lots of these cats in businesses anywhere there’s an Asian population and some people collect them.
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I know you can buy different colored cats as charms for different blessings, too- thanks for the Kitty-history!!!
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