Quick 'n Dirty Janet Dress

Sometimes you don't have time, skills, or funds to attempt a Screen Accurate costume. So you break it down to it's simplest elements. What's crucial and what isn't?

Well for Janet's pink dress, I'd say the color is crucial. It's what stands out the most. Something that has a high neckline and zips up the back is also important, but I'd say less crucial. Sleeves are not important because she wears a sweater.

So here's a dress I found on eBay ($12.88). I picked it because of the color and because it was fitted on top and loose below the waist.  The fabric is completely wrong, but that's not crucial. It's also too long, but it's easy to shorten.  You don't even need to sew the hem, look for fusible hem tape.  Glue it if you have to!

With some pink gingham fabric you can cut out a "Peter Pan" style collar and cover an existing belt. Hers is 1/2" gingham, but it's not a critical detail. Wal-Mart usually has 1/4" gingham in pink.

You could stop at that point, but a couple more details will finish it nicely. The easiest is the flower-shaped buttons that go down the center of her dress from her neck to waist (Wal-Mart also sells these).  Just glue those suckers on. You can also add some white rick-rack down side fronts, and a big round slide-buckle to the belt.  The easiest thing is to just have the belt close with velcro in the back - easier for the quick change after the proposal, and for clumsy Riff Raffs.

The sweater completes the look and you have a half-decent Janet costume in a pinch!

Custom Printed Fabric

I've been tinkering with this for a good while now. I will have swatches at the 40th Anniversary Convention.  If you're comfortable with Photoshop, the process is fairly easy. When you upload your design you have the option to set the repeat how you prefer.

Columbia's Pajama Stripe - This was printed by Spoonflower. I have experimented with the colors a bit, and though I think my final result is a bit dark, it lends itself well to natural fading for a truly "worn" look (you can accelerate the process with sun exposure and many washings). Spoonflower will also let you modify the colors before ordering, however I strongly recommend getting a swatch before purchasing yardage.

Brad's Bow Tie Plaid - I tried this on Spoonflower originally and I wasn't happy with any of the results. Every effort looked dull and faded - as if getting a saturated red was impossible.  I tried using their color-picker, and talking with customer support on the phone. Always the same dull results. I had much greater success with FabricOnDemand.com - the only complaint I have about them is that they do not have a store feature to let other people buy my designs directly.

Brad's Cummerbund Plaid - Pretty much the same exact experience as the bow tie plaid. My final results were from FabricOnDemand.com.

Janet's 1/2" Pink Gingham - Gingham is technically a woven plaid, but I've done my best to simulate the effect with printing. I got great results from Spoonflower.com so it's available in my shop there. I also have a lighter version of the same print for Janet's that are working with a lighter pink dress fabric and still want a good match.

Janet Pink Dress

This should be easier than it is - but it's a pain to find a usable pattern, the right size gingham and the right size buckle. It's also impossible to find the *perfect* scalloped trim and the right flower buttons. I used to be able to find those buckles at thrift stores in abundance. All that aside, at least the pink gabardine is still in abundance.
I actually have a better time with the Proposal Suit than I do this dress. Weird. The buttons are 2" apart - at least that part works out well!

Janet's Pink Dress (Research)

Because of the trim, I previously assumed that Janet's dress had a princess seam there. Upon further research, I think the trim is superficial because I can see bust darts on the sides. Bust darts usually accompany waist darts, too - which may be hiding under the trim. McCall's #2718 has a sloper (shell) that will work great for this top style, but you'll still need to adapt the bottom of the dress into a retro A-line style. You'll also need to move the closing from the center front to the center back (and adjust your seam allowances accordingly).

Basic sloper pattern (most pattern co. have one)