Posted by Is February flying by for you? It is me.
I think it is in part to the new job at work and also the mere fact that there are only 28 days.
It’s good in some ways. Pay day comes around quicker.
But bad in others. I’ve not really started on my next Minerva Crafts garment make which I’m due to post about in just over a week’s time.
At least I’ve made my toile.
Yes, it’s a dress! – Sorry it’s dark.
In fact it is this dress – Cowl Dress 10/2012 #118A from Burda Style.
I’m never brave enough, or daft, to go straight to the fabric and have always made a toile. Something doubly important when cutting into fabric provided for you by another. There’s no making this twice!
Experience has taught me there is always an alteration to be made.
Usually I’m taking in at the waist but this time the opposite is true. I’m letting out at the waist and taking in up the back.
My fabric is non-stretch so I have to give myself room to breath.
This fabric is lovely and soft. It comes under the title of ‘ Blue ultra soft floral jacquard designer dress fabric’. There’s not much blue about it; it’s more grey.
It drapes beautifully but pattern matching down the back seam is proving a bit of a beast. The flowers are about 4 inches across.
Note to self. Next time choose smaller pattern or order more fabric.
I was going to make a shorter top version but I’ve decided to go the whole hog and make the dress. I can always cut the bottom off later ;). The front section is cut on the bias and with the extra fabric required for the cowl, and the gathers on the side, it takes a whole heap of fabric.
Just a weekend to turn it around then!
Love, Lucie xx
Love, Lucie 
That dress is going to look lovely Lucie. I hear you on February flying by! Those Minerva projects seem to come round quickly some months, don’t they?
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Too quickly! I’ve already reneged on a previous one so I don’t want to do it again.
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Good luck – does a deadline take the joy out of it or given you adrenalin? The fabric is lovely – looking forward to seeing the finished dress.
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Now, that’s a hard one to answer! I always aim not to sew to a deadline but it doesn’t usually work. But without a deadline things wouldn’t get done at all. I’m looking forward to sewing the dress but I know I’ll be pretty shattered at the end, when I should be having some down time, preparing for my working week. I haven’t really answered your question. I’m in two minds about the answer!
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You lol do it no bother! Beautiful fabric!
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Thanks for the vote of confidence!
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Oooh that looks like it is going to be a beautiful dress. The toile is already looking pretty stunning! Good luck this weekend, sounds rather exhausting to me, ha ha. xx
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I was pretty chuffed with the toile. I hope it lives up to my expectation!
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That is going to be one mighty fine dress!!
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My OH said he could see my knickers through the toile when I tried it on. He seriously thought it was the finished dress!
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Bahahahaha
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Love the fabric, it should be fairly quick as you’ve already done all the hard work getting the fit. Good luck 😃
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I would like to think so. I just need to get set up right, with my ironing board brought up stairs and a good clear surface to work off. And then some decent light to take photos!
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nice! Love that pattern.
Yes, Feb is flying, but truthfully, that is fine with me. Another foot of snow coming tomorrow…
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We had 3 inches one weekend; that’s our max this year. I can’t imagine solid snow throughout the winter!
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I am so jealous of you Brits – you get just enough snow to think it is special, and you don’t have to shovel rain! Having this much for a long time gets claustrophobic after a while. At least they downgraded our foot to three inches today. I wish they would do a better job predicting…
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That’s a nice pattern – I thought it looked as if it was made in a knit fabric but I see it’s not. Be interesting to see the finished dress – the one you can’t see your knickers through 😉
It seems to me that all time flies by these days, not just February.
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It was a cowl for a non stretch I was particularly looking for. I ordered the material but it was too large a pattern for a structured top. It draped so beautifully, it was crying out for a drapey pattern. Having said that, it’s been made up in stretch by so many others. Isn’t wonderful to just type a pattern into google/Pinterest and see all the others that have been made from a particular pattern?
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You are good making a toile – I have NEVER made one! I always dive straight in and make fitting changes as I go. Too impatient, that’s me. Love the style of the dress, especially the folds which would hide my belly to a certain degree. Don’t you just love the things that men come out with?!
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Most of my evening frocks have folds across the belly! I like being able to eat plenty when I go out and the folds hide the diner paunch!
I have got into the habit of always making a toile. When I first started dressmaking I thought that was what everyone did, having read all those blogs! I’ve kept each one. It’s my way of recording what I had to do to each garment so it’s quick to make up next time.
I might hem my toile and appear it in one evening, just before we are ready to go out!
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Good Luck! Ponte roma would have been fab for this dress. Looking forward to your version. Jo x
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Completely agree but I was struggling to find an alternative use for this fabric that I’ve committed to. It certainly make you think ‘outside the box’. Ugh!
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