My first dress.

Yes, my very first dress.
A dress, I hope you’ll agree, that is a rather wearable number.

It didn’t start out as a dress.
I ordered the material from Minerva Crafts with an Alma top in mind.

But the 4 inch size of the flower of the fabric ( Blue Ultra Soft Floral Jacquard dress fabric) that dropped through the door threw that option out of the window.

I held the fabric up to myself, wondering what an earth I could do with it, with my very limited experience.
Then I saw the beautiful drape; how the fabric fell in folds. So I set about searching for a pattern for a cowl top for a non-stretch fabric.
It took some time. So many patterns for cowl tops and dresses are for stretch jersey type fabrics. I didn’t feel I could risk just making a stretch top in a woven fabric but then I came across this. The Burdastyle Cowl Dress 10 2012 #118A

It’s a download pdf, not a paper pattern but I had used the print out and stick together method before. It also had no seam allowance, so I had to remember to add this on.
As usual I made up my toile.

I’m so glad I did! I usually size up and take in through the darts at the waist, but this time the opposite was true; letting out at the waist and taking in up the back.

So do you want to see?

A while back, I would have thought this very complicated.
It has sleeves.

A cowl neck.

Gathering at one side of the waist.

An invisible zip.

And pattern matching across the back. Well, I matched the one flower and let everything else just do it’s thing.

I’m really pleased with the fit of the back and down over my bum!
So there we go. A rather successful make containing all my skills and more, learnt to date. It just goes to show that starting simple and adding one new skill to every make has really started to pay off.

It’s raining outside and I’m looking very tired. I was up until 11.30 hemming this dress. Would you believe I managed to delete all the photos my daughter had taken earlier in the day, out in the sunshine!
There are several new things I’ve learnt in this make.

1. An actual successful invisible zip. I followed the tuition in this months Love Sewing. I reinforced where the zip was to go with a strip of iron on interfacing.  I used my invisible zip foot. The first side of the zip was beautiful but the second was not. The biggest tip I got from the article was that if your zip remains exposed, go back and run a second row of stitches even closer to the zip teeth. I did and it worked beautifully.
2. Measure the length of dress you’d like it to be, before you cut out. I think the dress on the model is longer than mine. I went ahead and just cut out the pattern, allowing 4cm hem allowance. But I think my dress is a couple of inches short of perfect.
3. Also, regarding the sleeves. The pattern allowed for full length sleeves. It told me to flute out the hem of the sleeve at the end, to allow for the fabric sitting nicely when it was turned in and hemmed. However, once sewn in, I realised I wanted 3/4 length sleeves not full length ones, which made me look a bit ‘mother of the bride’, and I hadn’t allowed for fluting at that point. So I had to open my seam when hemming. It is not perfect but no one can see!
4. The final thing I have learnt is that I have completely conquered sleeve setting. But I must remember to mark left sleeve and right sleeve on the fabric. Working this out later was a pain I could have done with out.

And so to the finished garment. A dress for lunch, or maybe a Christening or, at a push, for work. Although working in construction they don’t usually get to see my legs.

Do you like it?

Love, Lucie x