I didn't plan on making this dress - I'd actually planned a different dress... Well, to be completely honest I had a couple of different dresses planned (always plenty of competing priorities on the sewing list!). But then I got sidetracked by the splendid lime fabric.
The Splendid lime fabric..
Thinking back, way back when - about a week ago, tops...
I'd popped into Tessuti Fabrics for something mundane, glanced at the remnants table and WOAH! evidently someone that just my taste had been in recently, buying up big time, and leaving some delicious remnants behind.
Top left to bottom right, here's what I
and here's what I planned:
a fitted sheath dress (coral), cigarette pants (black), a beach coverup to coordinate with my daughter's swimmers, a Splice dress (lime), and part of a swimsuit (the black lycra I'd popped in for).
The following photo shows the lime fabric colour really well (ignore what looks like a crankiness, please, it's just the sun making me squint!):
The fabric is a viscose-elastane stretch fabric, and probably a bit thin and clingy for the dress by itself, so I'm wearing a cotton voile slip under it. I made this slip a few years ago to go under a dress that has since left the wardrobe, but the slip seems to be the perfect length to accompany many other dresses :)
And the pattern is one that's been made by many other sewists before - Vogue 8870, in the Very Easy series. It's an easy-to-wear style - loose, gathered at the waist - and just a little bit trendy with its high-low hem.
I started the dress in a rush, without checking Pattern Review (oops, if I'd read nicegirl's review I'd have known to watch out for the front bodice - shorter in the middle than on the sides!), and without checking the suggested fabrics (stretch fabrics aren't listed).
The changing bodice length doesn't seem to be that noticeable in real life, and I think the pattern works well in a lightweight stretch fabric. Having said that, obviously making this *woven* dress out of a stretch fabric necessitated a few changes in technique - I used a walking foot and a twin needle in some places, for example, and instead of sewing a casing for the waist elastic I stitched the top edge of the elastic, stretched out, close to the seam between bodice and skirt.
The dress is supposed to have side pockets, and of course I'm in favour of pockets in everything, but in this fabric I left them off - I thought the pocket openings would get saggy. I also took out 2cm at centre back to try to reduce the risk of wardrobe malfunctions in the front wrap.
The waistline elastic has ended up a bit loose, but the dress is super comfy and looks a lot better on than expected, so I'll be leaving it loose for now. And I wasn't sure about the high-low trend (late to this party) but the low part of the hem in this fabric has a soft, swishy, caressing feeling against my back calves when I walk or when a breeze blows - is this sensation what the trend is really about, do you think :)?
See you soon
- Gabrielle x
