Tuesday 30 July 2013

Holiday sewing

I am on annual leave this week, and I resolved to catch up on some dressmaking.    This is yet more fabric I bought at Walthamstow Market.  I think it came from Saeed's.  It is a crisp  poly cotton and perfect for summer dresses for the gorgeous weather we have been having here in the UK.

I first made it up several years ago, to take on holiday with me, now I have been sewing long enough to know that a crisp poly cotton is never going to drape and hang well in soft gathers, but I still went ahead and made a softly draped pattern.  Did it look good and well made, of course not!  So into the clothing to be altered at a later date the garment went.   The later date came and went last year in our non existent summer.  But this year well what a contrast.  Out of the alterations box it came.

I did not actually use one single pattern for this garment, it is a mash up of several patterns.  The skirt is an A line pattern that must be all of 10 years old and has been used so many times it is held together with sellotape. The bodice is part of another dress, and the midriff is just a strip of material I cut and pieced together to join the bodice and skirt together.   I copied an idea I have noticed other bloggers taking  and used an old sheet to line the skirt.  It adds a nice weight to the dress.

I put a side seam in, I have trouble with side seams they never seem to 'hang' properly, to my satisfaction.  I may just go revert to using to back seam zippers, I just feel happier with them.  Anyway this is the completed dress


although I am still not entirely happy with the side zip, I am infinitely happier with this version of the dress than its previous incarnation. 
.

1 comment:

  1. Oooo that looks lovely and light for the hot weather. Hope you are enjoying your week off with lots of sewing!

    ReplyDelete