Wednesday 5 August 2015

An Emery for Emily

Long time readers of this blog will know that unselfish sewing is not normal behaviour for me. I find fitting and sewing for others far more stressful than sewing for myself and avoid it like the plague. But I couldn't say no to my latest project - a dress for my friend's daughter Emily. I first met Emily's mum Sophie when our children were just a few weeks old and she's since become one of my closest friends. Because of this I have a real soft spot for Em and when Sophie asked if I could make her a dress, I agreed at once.


Emily was inspired by the dress below, worn by Clara from Dr Who. She wanted to keep the fitted bodice and full skirt, but preferred plain, short sleeves rather than the gathered ones in the photo. She also decided against the collar. After a consultation with my Twitter pals regarding pattern choice, the general consensus seemed to be the Christine Haynes Emery dress. Emily liked the look of the pattern too, so we got to work.


For fabric, Emily chose this unusual navy and red firework print from Island Batik. We found it after researching 'firework prints' online and she fell for it immediately, preferring the navy and red colourway to Clara's original red. I couldn't find any UK stockists, so had to order from Fabric.com in the US. They've since sold out, but there's still some available here, if anybody's interested. The fabric is a medium weight quilting cotton and quite crisp to to the touch, even after a pre-wash. This actually worked in our favour and was a good match for a structured pattern like the Emery dress. The bodice is lined with a navy cotton muslin. 




The biggest challenge on this project was the fit. Emily is only 13 and very slender, so I knew I'd have to make a few adjustments. I cut a size 0 bodice and size 2 skirt and we had two fittings in all. After making an initial muslin I made the following changes:

- Increased the back shoulder darts 
- Made a ½" front neck adjustment 
- Made a 1" tuck right across the upper chest, together with a small bust adjustment



There's still a fair bit of wiggle room built in, to allow for growth spurts! I also left a generous three inch hem on the skirt for the same reason.


I'm absolutely delighted with the finished dress and, more importantly, so is Emily! The dress has a very simple shape but I think the unusual fabric really elevates it into something special. She looks so pretty and elegant in it and so grown up! It doesn't seem that long ago that Sophie and I were taking her and Louis on their first walk - they were so SLOW, nearly an hour to walk from one end of the road and back! 

Beautiful Emily, I hope you enjoy wearing your dress, I certainly enjoyed making it for you. x


52 comments:

  1. This is lovely, what an elegant dress and great that it's got built in room for growth as I'm sure it'll be a firm favourite

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    1. Aw thanks Kerry! I think it will be, it was love at first sight! x

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  2. Beautiful dress! Love the fabric. Great job!
    See me @ www.sewplus.blogspot.com

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  3. Aaaw Jane, you sweetheart!!! Emily looks so lovely in her new dress, which is a masterpiece by the way!

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    1. Thanks darling! She looks gorgeous doesn't she?! x

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  4. That's absolutely beautiful, love the fabric. I'm sure she's really chuffed with it and, of course, it's unique too.

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    1. Aw she is chuffed with it! And I think she really likes the fact that it's unique too, she has a great sense of style for one so young! x

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  5. beautiful! and I'm sure it will be treasured.

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  6. What a terrific dress, Jane! I do love a girl who makes fashion choices based on Dr. Who!

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    1. Haha! I know, I love that about Emily too! x

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  7. What a lovely dress, and suits her so well!

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  8. Wonderful---a young lady gets a new dress and an old friend the lovely feeling of having made it for her. A win-win situation. Just beautiful! Em looks great in it.

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  9. I would have never picked that firework print, but it works so well for this dress. That's the best part about seeing other people's creations - you get so inspired.

    She's adorable and so is the dress!

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    1. I would never have picked it either, but she fell for it as soon as she clapped eyes on it! It's totally right for Emily and is perfect for the pattern, she has great taste! x

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  10. So cute! This is the youngest person I've seen in an Emery and it's just adorable!

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    1. Thank you so much Christine, that means a lot. Just wait until I show Emily this comment! x

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  11. Love the dress and the fabric! My eldest daughter's a huge Dr Who fan (yeah, and I might just be a bit of one too), so I'll have to keep my eye out for something similar! Emily looks fab in it!! Jen

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    1. Thank you! I'm pleased it turned out so well. I love the fact that Dr Who is a source of fashion inspiration for young girls! x

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  12. Emily and the dress are both beautiful!

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    1. I have to agree with you on the first point and thank you re the second! x

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  13. Wonderful dress! And even more so that's it's a Dr Who knock-off.

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    1. I know, I love that about it too! Thanks! x

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  14. I love it. I think it looks very grown-up but still simple and fun, with room to move around. I like the new shapes in dresses, with the normal waistlines and such, I think they have a very classic look.

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    1. It's a great, classic pattern - I've made it myself too and was v pleased with it. I like the fact that it looks grown up but still girlish! x

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  15. Ah that's so great! Such a nice fabric choice, she looks lovely. I hope my nearly 4 yr old will still be wanting me to make her dresses at Emily's age.

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    1. I hope so too, it's a lovely age to sew for, they really have a strong idea about what they like! x

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  16. Fab fabric, she looks lovely in it. I bet you were really pleased with the finished look of this.

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    1. Oh I really was! I kept worrying it would be too small, I'm not used to sewing size 0 and everything looked tiny, especially the sleeves! I was relieved it fitted so well in the end. x

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  17. The girl's got taste ;) it's a very lovely dress!

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  18. I agree that it is nerve-racking to sew for anyone else, especially for a young person as you so desperately want to fulfill their expectations, which you have done in spades. Such a lovely dress and it looks fabulous on Emily. Maybe she should start a blog on her style inspirations.

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    1. It IS nerve racking isn't it?! Emily was very easy to sew for though, which helped a lot. I'll tell her about the style blog, what a great idea! x

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  19. She looks lovely! I think we've all got someone we don't mind sewing for! X

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    1. Ah yes, she definitely fits into that category, I loved seeing this for her!

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  20. I love, love, love the fabric. I'd never have picked it out either, but it looks amazing. I'm off to look for some for me :)

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  21. Fabulous. My girls would wear that too. They are slender and it is hard to make things fit them well. Jo x

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    1. Yes, you should definitely try the pattern for them, it worked out so well for Emily, X

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  22. This is so sweet, and a beautiful dress!

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  23. Totally gorgeous both model and dress. You've done a really good job.

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  24. I too avoid sewing for others like the plague, but I can never deny the babies and children lol
    She looks so sweet :-)

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  25. What a beautiful dress - I'm glad you relaxed your rule on making for others.

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    1. Thank you! I generally relax my rule about once a year (if I'm feeling generous!) x

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  26. That fabric is awesome, love what you've done with it! :)

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  27. Oh my gosh, what a lovely dress! This looks so cute on Emily!

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