Sometimes I have a hard time envisioning what something is going to look like before I make it. The dress I wore today is one of those items. The fabric is one I kept going back to, again and again. I was drawn to the drawing on this panel print. And the seller had combined the panel print with coordinating polka dot and stripe fabrics. I imagined some kind of tunic out of the combo.
So finally I bought it, and when it arrived, it was much more white than I had envisioned. Bright, white, summery looking fabric. I decided to try it in a new dress pattern I had bought, thinking I could wear it as a dress now and as a tunic in cooler weather. I like the way the dress came out, though I feel it is perhaps not what I was originally going for, when I first chose the fabric, which was more of a moody, arty look. Instead, I think it came out kind of cheery looking. (And in case you're wondering, I only used two of the pieces of fabric in the combo: the panel print and white with small black polka dots. I saved the coordinating stripe for later.)
I wore the dress to work today, in the spirit of celebrating summer's last hurrah.

The outfit:
Summer scene dress in white with black, taupe, and shades of gray, with longer short raglan sleeves and a banded hem (made by me); white footless tights with lace trim (Nordstrom); gray Mary Jane d'Orsay low-heeled shoes (Think!); jean jacket (AG, Robyn); gray backpack (Rebecca Minkoff).

Thanks for looking! I welcome your thoughts and suggestions.